XHatch
by sebastianathefirst
Summary: Emil is resurrected in the midst of another mana instability, without Ratatosk and the centurions overseeing it due to sealing Niflheim. He has one chance to save the world again by sacrificing the blood of an elf...that same elf who saved him.
1. Worthy Undying

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter One: Worthy Undying**

He yelped upon seeing her face. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she was beaming. Behind her, could see others with overjoyed expressions. Lips quivering, he shut his eyes. Where was he? Who were these people? What was going on?

"Emil?"

He opened his eyes again. The girl leaned much closer to him. The tears were gone, and her eyes had a glint of fear. He stepped back.

"Emil," she said. "Come on, speak up!"

Emil? Was she talking to him? Was Emil his name? And he realized—he could not remember. His name, his past…was she someone he'd forgotten about, too? Looking past her and towards the others, had he known them as well?

He scanned the room…there was only darkness, if not for the floors that gleamed in…firelight?

One of the group behind moved within arm's reach. He glanced at his weapons: twin blades sheathed and strapped on either side of him. "Emil."

His name was there for a split second before disappearing again, leaving Emil with a silent response.

"Emil," the girl spoke, "at least say my name. You didn't forget my name…right?"

Her name…he _knew_ it, of course he knew it. But…what was it?

As Emil faced her, noticed another person. Another girl, fully clad in green. And he _could_ remember her, but very vaguely…his mind was tingling …"You…"

"Don't worry," she said. "Everything will come back in time."

"You mean he doesn't remember us?" a boy asked her.

"…Of course," another—a woman, this time—said. "Emil was born from _our_ memories of him, so he wouldn't wake up having his own."

"But now that he's back, shouldn't his memories be, too?" came yet another—a ninja?

"Indeed he will…under the circumstance that he was detailed as accurately as possible," said another, a man. Emil stirred with a gentleness that he felt inclined to. The man must've meant something to him…everyone must have.

"Wait a sec," came the boy again, "what about Ratatosk Mode?"

Ratatosk. That name rang a bell. A loud one, at that.

"But Ratatosk is in his core form, "said the girl who first told Emil his name. "He barely has enough power to hold the door by himself. Isn't that why the Centurions are helping him?"

Emil stared at the spheres behind him, and beyond that, flames. He counted nine, with different hues and markings. What were they? And why were they grouped like that? Were they trying to protect something? If so, what would it have to do with him?

He felt something brush against his fingers. The first he'd met was holding his hand. And he didn't have as much instinct as to pull away. "Um…"

"You might not remember yet," she whispered, "but some time ago, you died to save the world. And since then, I've been protecting it, just like you have."

"I…died…?" And there came a splitting pain in Emil's stomach. It flashed before him: he stabbed himself with a sword, and his body disintegrated into a red sphere. The same one was floating with all the other spheres in the center, like a sort of power source.

And her name…he'd said goodbye to her before he died. Told her he was sorry. Bringing a hand to his temple, he braced as memory after memory bombarded his mind. Palmacosta, Luin, Altamira, Iselia, the Towers and the Temples.

The Centurions—Ratatosk, Verius, and Richter, Aster…

There were Sebastian and Tokunaga, the waiters of Seles and Zelos, the Chosen alongside Colette…and Raine and Genis Sage, Sheena, Regal…Lloyd.

Emil said her name. "…Marta." Upon hearing himself say it, feeling overwhelmed him. "Marta, you're alive! You're alive!"

"Emil!" Marta encircled her arms around him. "Oh, Emil!" He gladly responded by pulling her close.

"Alright, Emil!"

"Genis! Raine, Lloyd! Sheena, Regal!"

"I knew you'd come back," Lloyd said with a smirk.

He glanced at Ratatosk's core. Wasn't he angry to have reverted into his core form? What about revenge? Would he still plot, even while sealing the door to Niflheim?

And then again…he killed himself, didn't he?

"Jizelle, we can't thank you enough."

Jizelle nodded to Sheena. The first girl that Emil thought he could remember, and in the end…never met. "You…you brought me back?"

"My name is Jizelle. It's a pleasure, Emil."

Emil thought his knees would give and force him to bow. Instead, his cheeks flushed, "Thank you…so much."

"And thank you for teaching kindness to Ratatosk."

"Wh…what?" Emil bit his lip. "For sealing him inside me, he must be even more furious with humans. How could I've taught him?"

"Before, Ratatosk viewed human virtue as a weakness in itself. And when the Giant Kharlan Tree that he'd protected for years died in the midst of the Ancient War, he grew dormant and put the blame on humans and half-elves. He awakened in a monstrous state."

"…Aster. Ratatosk killed Aster out of revenge, and I killed myself to atone for him." So…was it right for him to be alive right now? Shouldn't he still be atoning?

"But when he traveled with you," continued Jizelle, "he lived within you…you tolerated one another, and he learned."

"Jizelle," started Regal, "were you able to find out all this come from receiving Ratatosk's memory of Emil?"

Jizelle nodded. "He gave me Emil's memories, and plucked out those that were his own—Emil's unconscious states while he was possessed. It was easy to surmise that it was his way of gratitude."

"So by taking away the memories that weren't Emil's, he prevented him from going into Ratatosk Mode," said Sheena. "I guess he really has changed."

"Has Ratatosk spoken with you?" asked Raine.

Jizelle shook her head. "Why?"

"If you've know each other, he must've given a greeting of sorts."

"The situation did not call for speech." Jizelle turn to Emil. "I've wanted to come here for some time, and research of the Ginnungagap would naturally lead me to Ratatosk, where he resided with the Centurions. If I entered without realizing that it was the dwelling of a summon spirit…"

"Aster," uttered Marta. "Aster and Richter, they knew they were dealing with a summon spirit, and yet Aster was killed by Ratatosk. It could've been worse if someone had entered the Ginnungagap and hadn't realized that Ratatosk was inside."

"Isn't that for Ratatosk himself to decide?" asked Genis.

"But he's different now," said Lloyd. "If Jizelle was right and Ratatosk had truly changed his view on humans, then we have Emil to thank. And now that he's alive before us…It just proves."

"Thank you, Lloyd," said Emil. "Thank you, all of you, for still believing in me after what I'd done."

"You did what you felt you had to do," said Marta. "Everyone does that."

"Marta…"

"It's kinda like courage in a way. Like you said—"

Emil cut her off with a kiss. "Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality," he breathed, "I know." More than anything, he wanted to believe that Ratatosk had changed. That he'd allow him to live on. To live with Marta.

* * *

They grouped before the narrow pathway leading to the first exit. "Are you ready to fight, Emil?" asked Lloyd.

Emil winced. "I still don't like the idea of fighting, but yeah."

"Is it okay for you to fight after you just come back?" asked Genis.

"It's the least I can do for all of you who came to save me."

Raine hummed in thought. "All right, but don't hesitate to tell us if you're wearing out."

"Okay."

They crossed the path, with the fiery pits edging around them, ready to feed on them. Marta grabbed Emil's hand, as if sensing an old fear. "Like you've done to me before…I will lend you my power."

Her power…but wasn't she rendered powerless without Ratatosk? "But…your power came from Ratatosk. When I sealed us, he would've been angry enough to take them away." As he spoke, he realized it wasn't just Marta—his own powers had come from Ratatosk, too. Now that he was a separate being…

"Marta can fight just fine," said Raine. "But you were right—she did lose them at one point. She received them again after her sentence had been lifted."

"Sentence…" Emil remembered. It was that night before they came here…"Oh, right…Marta had to serve her sentence as a member of the Vanguard. It was lifted?"

"The Commander and Richter proposed an objection," said Regal, "that even though Marta was a member of the Vanguard, she had no participation to any of the charges that Sylvarant and Tethe'alla held against them. When I reported this to the King of Tethe'alla and to the Sylvaranti by means of the Lezareno Company, Marta had been released."

"Richter? So he's still alive…" Richter, who taught Emil the words that brought him so far…and in the end, attempted to kill him. And to release Marta, whom he'd been willing to kill then? "When he finds out I'm alive, he'd realize that he hadn't fulfilled any of his goals. I don't want to bring that on somebody I trusted."

"It's okay," said Marta. "Daddy's setting him straight right now. I'm sure that he'd be happy to see you when we get to them."

"But first, let's return to Altamira and rest there," said Sheena. "And then tomorrow, we head for Meltokio to see the King."

"Rather you finish your business before or after we arrive at Altamira," Jizelle's voice came cold, echoing throughout the space that surrounded the next path up to the surface world, where she was looking at now. "They're spotting us by the minute."

Emil looked up, "I couldn't see them."

"Jizelle's got elf eyes," says Lloyd, "so she has a larger range of sight." Then he motions everyone to follow the pathway up and towards the sealed platform elevator.

"Jizelle's an elf?" asked Emil, glancing at her. "I know about them, but…I've never actually met an elf before."

"It is because most elves live in Heimdall, after this world had received mana from Derris-Kharlan," said Raine. "It's a hidden village in Tethe'alla, where neither humans nor half-elves can enter."

"A lot of elves don't tend to venture out of Heimdall, either," said Sheena, "but Jizelle's been traveling for a while."

"Why'd you leave the elf village?" asked Emil.

She kept her eyes upon the areas above them. "…I needed to." She bent an arm behind her back, and pulled out her weapon. A crossbow, with the carved halves of a griffin for limbs. She reached again for three arrows, inserting them into three respective slots before aiming at the higher levels.

Emil watched this all in the wonder of meeting his first elf and archer. "You're going to shoot them from here?"

"I see no reason why I shouldn't," she replied, tilting her head slantwise at him.

"But what if you miss?"

Jizelle heaved a sigh. "I can always reload." She turned back up, aimed fast, and triggered the bow. "Homing Head." All three arrows zoomed upwards, their heads emitting light from the distance. When they reached the first monster, they all drew to strike it together. Something stirred, and disappeared in a poof.

"What did you just do?" asked Emil.

"Homing Head gets arrows to attack the first monster they detect. We must leave before they respawn."

"Good point," said Marta. Emil could then see her shock…at him. "Emil, behind you!"

Upon instinct, Emil drew his sword and parried a monster that had spawned behind him. "They've come down!" As the monster's axe began to break his defense, Marta took over with her spinners. "Marta, don't!"

"You can't do it alone, Emil," she answered. "Without Ratatosk, you won't be able to protect yourself in here!"

"True; with Emil's potential this limited, he may never survive the ascent on his own," said Regal. "Emil, Marta, you stay close to Raine and Genis. The rest of us will surround you and fight."

"Sounds like a plan to me," approved Genis. "Lloyd, how about you be in front with Regal, then us, then Sheena and Jizelle? You guys fight up close, and we'll cast spells from afar."

"Good thinking, Genis," replied Lloyd. "Alright, let's finish what we've set out for."

To reach the Otherworldly Gate. Back into the surface world. To Emil, it was his greatest dream come true. _Thank you, _he sent the message back to the core in its domain, _thank you, Ratatosk…for finally believing in me._


	2. One Way Door

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Two: One-Way Door**

"Yo Emil!" Zelos waved to the group from the Gate of Altamira. Beside him were Presea, her face giving room for a smile, and Colette. Emil waved back, and Zelos patted hard against his back. "You know, you really shouldn't have us waiting for so long before you get back here. People have been staring at us this whole time."

"The Chosen still attract attention even after the world regeneration," shrugged Presea. "People would consider seeing the both of you together as a rare opportunity."

"They still make a big deal of us, even at this time," said Colette. "I admit, I get a little when it happens. But Zelos, that doesn't mean that I don't like being with you or anything like that!"

"Regal has prepared a room for us at the hotel," said Sheena. "We'll rest there and fill Emil in on the details."

They follow Regal to the suite floor, and enter the room on the left. It was as Emil had left it: a living room, with two steps leading to the bedroom. As they scatter, Regal closed the door behind them. Emil and Marta sat on the bed together.

"Some time after you died," Marta started, "we all met at the Otherworldly Gate. It was the closest that we could get to you. And that's when we saw Jizelle…opening the gate."

"I intended to speak with Ratatosk regarding the present state of the world," Jizelle explained. "For example—have you noticed how much warmer it is here in Altamira?"

It was only then Emil realized that he was still sweating even after he'd left the Ginnungagap. "Yeah, it's pretty humid now."

"We told her that Ratatosk and the Centurions were all in their core forms, serving as a seal to the door into Niflheim," said Presea. "And because of that, the existing mana the world grew out of balance again in before it had even recovered."

"Ratatosk and the Centurions were responsible for mana distribution, so having them all sealing away Niflheim gives us a major problem," said Zelos.

Emil had completely forgotten about all those. By placing themselves against the door, they would not be able to attend to their other responsibilities. "…I'm so sorry. I was so focused on atoning for Aster that I didn't stop to think about anything else." He tightened the fist on his lap. "I atoned for one life, and had forsaken the others. I'm such a fool!"

Marta wrapped her arms over his back. "We all were. By pretending to be Ratatosk, I resorted to fighting. If I'd realized that it were you any sooner…"

"Emil, by sealing Ratatosk and yourself, you defended our world from the malice that Niflheim could've brought," said Lloyd. "For that, I believe you deserve no punishment."

"Thank you, Lloyd."

"You must never linger over your past," said Regal. "Instead, let it invoke you to live your life in the present."

"I understand, Regal." Emil turned to Jizelle, her lips pursed at him. Had Regal's words affected her in some way? "So…how do we restore the balance of mana?"

"With the seal broken, they have to focus their strengths by numerable times on preventing the demons," said Raine. "I'm afraid there is no alternative to restore the balance of mana except to empower Ratatosk and the Centurions through external means."

"…External?"

"Forging pacts, for example," said Sheena.

"But you can make pacts only if Ratatosk or any of the Centurions are present, right?" said Colette. "If one of those cores is taken from the door, the seal might weaken altogether, and the demons would come out of Niflheim and invade this world, and all we've worked so hard to achieve will be…!"

Emil then remembered Richter, and his plan to use himself as a seal with the help of the Sacred Stone, and possibly, the Cruxis Crystals originally possessed by the angels and the Chosen. Emil was against it; he wouldn't allow Richter to suffer on his own again, after all they had already been through…He was aware that the others were thinking it, but nobody brought it up.

But Jizelle…at the Ginnungagap, she didn't react at the subject of Richter. Did that mean she knew him? "Jizelle…" he started, "have you met…Richter before?"

"Yes," came the simple answer, before she pursed her lips again.

"They're not on very good terms," said Lloyd. Jizelle did not budge. "It turns out that it was her Sacred Stone that Richter intended to use back at the Ginnungagap. It was stolen from her home in Heimdall."

"Wow." So _I had seen Jizelle's Sacred Stone? Did she get it back from Richter?_ And then again…Jizelle somehow reminded him of Richter. Were they related in some way? "Jizelle?"

"Yes, Emil?" Her voice had grown much warmer, but still not as warm as Altamira.

"Why did you bring me back? You don't even know me, but still…"

"I knew the people you involved yourself with. Richter, Ratatosk, your friends with us. They believe that you didn't deserve to die. And so I took back what was stolen from them."

"Thanks again. I don't think I can repay you enough for what you've done."

"There is one way: protect the world like the others say you can."

"But…I'm no longer a Knight of Ratatosk."

Jizelle reached for another arrow, and lunged for his torso. By instinct, Emil unsheathed his sword: the sweep created an arc of energy that deflected her blow, and she fell onto her back. She sat up with a grunt, "No longer a Knight of Ratatosk?"

"Wh-what…?" _That was Demon Fang!_ Emil brought his hand to his eyes. "The Sorcerer's Ring!"

"You saw only now?" asked Genis. "The ring wore itself on your finger the moment we reached the Otherworldly Gate."

"I guess it's Ratatosk's parting gift," said Sheena.

"It's strange…I haven't felt any stronger since I came back."

"Maybe you had that power all along, with the Sorcerer's Ring coming in necessary to channel it," said Raine.

"Ratatosk must've given you your power so you could protect the world as you have done before," said Presea. "As parts of each other, it has become Ratatosk's wish and duty to protect the world as it had become Emil's."

"If that's the case, we better get started," said Marta. "We have to strengthen their cores, and at the same time, keep the door to Niflheim closed. Is there any way for us to do that as fast as we could?"

"Maybe we'll figure something out when we see the King," Lloyd said. "Look, Emil's just gotten back. It's not right for us to give him such a difficult responsibility while he recuperates."

"No, Lloyd, I want to do it," objected Emil. "I want to save the world as soon as I could. I can't afford to wait for the worst."

"Don't overstrain yourself, Emil. Lloyd knows that it is for the best. If you enter battle in a weakened state, you'll easily get killed," said Regal. "Take some time to recover your strength first. You may very well need it while Ratatosk is in his core form."

Emil protested, but Marta stopped him by placing a hand over his. "I'm sure Ratatosk would have wanted you to rest, too. He values your life as do all of us."

"Marta…"

She smiled at him. "So, how about sharing this bed tonight?"

"Wh-what?!"

"Emil, you laid a big one!" teased Sheena.

"Sheena, it's _he'll lay a big one_," corrected Zelos. "Use past tense right, for once. And I still love your chest, by the way."

"Aw, I'll smack you!"

"Ouch!"

"I don't see why not. Aren't you a couple or something?" said Genis.

Marta laid her head on Emil's chest. "That's right; Emil and I _are_ a couple."

"Marta, _not so loud_," Emil whimpered.

"But if they'll do it tonight, wouldn't it leave Emil even _more_ exhausted?" asked Colette.

"Oh, my," said Raine.

"Emil, don't tell me you wanted to save the world to cover _that_ up," growled Lloyd.

Emil waved his hands in defense. "No, Lloyd, that's not it! Believe me!"

Lloyd sighed. "Again with the hot spring incident. If Emil says it's the truth, then I'm sticking with it."

"But Emil hasn't said anything about truth," Presea pointed out. "And look, Marta's still on him."

"You guys! We'll only be sharing the bed!" As soon as he heard his own words, Emil clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Ah, so you _are_ planning to do it, eh, Emil?" Zelos hooked an arm around Emil's head. "You little rascal, sharing something so intimate in the midst of precious youth. Kids these days."

Emil gulped, and looked down—Marta was already asleep. _She'd missed the whole thing? _"Um…Marta?"

"Her eagerness to see you has robbed her of her stamina," said Regal, who, with Jizelle, had not spoken throughout. "Another reason why we asked you to rest."

"As of this moment, you're duty as a Knight of Ratatosk has resumed," said Jizelle. "Kindly begin by watching over her sleep."

"You sound like a history teacher, Jizelle," sighed Genis.

"What was that, Genis?" hissed Raine.

"Um, nothing."

And from the corner of her mouth, Emil could see Jizelle smirk. It was the closest to a smile that he'd seen on her for the first time.

* * *

Emil jumped in bed when he felt something snake around his waist. Then his hair stood on end when something _else_ pressed against his back.

"Emil…"

"Marta?" Emil flipped to face her. Beyond them was a window that revealed the open sky bathed in starlight. His heart pumped when he met the effects of it on her. "Marta…"

"Emil…what do you think of me now?" she asked. "Am I still pretty? Do I force myself on you? Would you love anybody else?"

_Where'd she get all this?_ he asked himself. "Um…"

Marta laid a hand on his face. It was the first time he'd felt it without mittens. Sweaty…but comforting. It gave such a good feeling that traveled in chunks along his spine. "Emil, I just want to know."

He was aware she wanted to know. He was aware that he'd been stalling her for too long. Remembering what Richter had reinforced into his head long ago, he gave a great sigh. _Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality. _

He sat up in bed. "Marta…when I pretended to be Ratatosk, and defeated you and Lloyd, I thought I'd killed you. And then it came to me: if I could kill you, then what could've Ratatosk been capable of? I couldn't bear to face the shame, and so I thought killing myself would atone for Aster and for you. But now that you're alive, and I'm alive…I realize that I don't deserve life. That I don't deserve you."

"Emil, don't say that," whispered Marta. "Remember what Regal said. There's nothing you can do about the past." She laid a hand over his. "I regretted not being able to recognize you, too. It made me think: did I ever know the true Emil? Or was I living some fantasy for all the times we spent together? When I woke up and saw Ratatosk's core…the thought of not being able to see you again…I kept begging Jizelle to bring you back!"

He did not watch her cry, but instead tightened his grip on her hand. It was all the comfort he could give while withstanding the impact she made on him.

She brought herself upon him. "When we learned that she was an elf, I had her bring you back. She kept saying that it was hard and consumed a lot of time, but when she found out that you were part of Ratatosk, she resolved. With her, everyone had worked hard, and I kept hope in my heart that you would come back to us again. So don't you ever tell me that you don't deserve to live!"

"Marta…" Emil crossed his arms over her body. "Oh, Marta…you knew me all along. You were the reason why I'd seen everything right to the end. I was the fool to have made such a quick decision. You mean so much to me that if I lose you again, I don't think I could bear it."

"I love you, Emil." Marta removed Emil's scarf and nestled her head against his neck. Another tingling feeling overwhelmed him, as he literally rose in place. "I'll treasure only you in that special place in my heart."

"Me too. And I'll always be by your side." Emil bent his head to level Marta's and pressed his lips against her face. "That's a true promise."

* * *

"Jizelle kinda rings a bell," Emil told the others as they climbed the stairs to Meltokio's castle. "I've never met her before, but still…"

"You brought this up only now?" asked Sheena. "You could've asked Jizelle about it before we left her back at the Elemental Research Lab."

"Yeah, I know that, but…she scares me a little. I mean, when we left Altamira and arrived here at Meltokio, she hadn't said a word, and she looked pretty cold. If anything, she reminds me of Richter, plus she's a girl…"

"Do women frighten you?" asked Raine.

"Sort of. I mean…I always end up doing something wrong that only girls could see, so I thought I just don't handle myself well enough around them."

"Why not? Don't you pretty much act like a girl?" asked Genis.

_Was that some sort of compliment?_ Emil thought. _For a guy who sealed Ratatosk away, I'm still pretty pathetic._

"I think Emil means that tale," said Colette. "Jizelle sounds really close to the name of a peasant girl within an old tale of the same name."

"_Gisela_ was the tragedy of a woman whose death was clouded by her beloved's deception," explained Regal. "When her lover paid visit to her grave, he was attacked by women who shared her same fate, and Gisela rose from the dead to save him from them."

"The girl found rest after that, but in the end, the two lovers were never united," added Presea. "It used to be a famous story passed down by the Tethe'allan elders. But with the subsequent concerns of the world regeneration and the Desians and the Vanguard and the Church, it was disregarded completely with other forms of stories that used to entertain us. Even I didn't bother thinking about it until now."

"An unforgettable story of passion and betrayal," said Lloyd. "I wish they could act such a story out."

"It would be a masterpiece come to life," said Zelos. "The next masterpiece after me."

"Shut up, Zelos," grumbled Marta. "Anyway, it would be crazy to think that Jizelle could compare to Gisela. She wouldn't lose her mind after her love or anything."

"Maybe that's what I was thinking about. _Gisela_," said Emil. _I have no idea what they're talking about, but if I say anything, Marta will frighten me again._ "Who knows if she's ever been in love?"

"C'mon, Emil, think about it. How could Jizelle not be in love with somebody? Personally, I don't believe such a person—even an elf—like that exists."

"You'd really bring Jizelle up when she's not around," said Sheena. "C'mon, she's not that scary. Think of her as another Raine…only a purebred. No offense, Raine."

Emil sighed, and reminded himself of Raine's Ruin Mode. _That's not very convincing._ "So, why wouldn't Jizelle come with us?"

"She never told us why, but she said she wasn't welcome in upper Meltokio," answered Lloyd. "The Royal Family receives her, but she was disliked by the rest of the citizens, particularly the nobles."

Emil then remembered that as they entered Meltokio, there were some people who glanced at them with spite. Certainly it might have been Jizelle, because everyone else was credited for saving the world.

"Certainly not all of them," came Zelos. "In fact, I like her very much, actually. And with my good looks and my angel status as the Chosen of Tethe'alla, I could easily convince her to change her viewpoint."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Zelos," said Genis. "When Jizelle first found out you're from Meltokio, she brought an arrow to your neck. And I think she was pretty aware that you were a Chosen."

"She had her hands ready on her bow, too, when we met them, yesterday," added Presea.

"All right, fine, she _is_ a little scary…"Zelos admitted.

When they arrived at the palace doors, Raine spoke again, "Wait."

"Sure, Raine," said Sheena. "What's on your mind?"

"I want to head back to Jizelle. See what she's doing back at the laboratory."

"Had I ever been there?" asked Emil. "I remember a little, but…"

"You were in Ratatosk Mode, then," said Marta. "The lab was where we first learned about the Ginnungagap."

"That's it," said Raine. "Jizelle said that research of the Ginnungagap would lead her to Ratatosk. But Marta had just said that the Ginnungagap was mentioned in the notes concerning Ratatosk. Also, when I had done my research in Sybak, all concerning the Ginnungagap were classified under Ratatosk."

"So she switched terms," said Lloyd. "Anyway, wouldn't they end up having the same concept: Ratatosk is the guardian of the Ginnungagap?"

"Yes, but Raine's point is that Jizelle must've known about Ratatosk before the Ginnungagap," said Presea. "Otherwise, why would she have to lie like that?"

"Also…her statements didn't match. Look back carefully," said Raine. "Yesterday, she said that the situation didn't call for speech and that she didn't speak with Ratatosk. And at the hotel, she said that on the day we met, she wanted to ask Ratatosk about the current world state."

"Then you're suspecting her," said Zelos. "You're forgetting that she was the one who brought Emil back to life!"

"Zelos is right," said Colette. "We owe Jizelle, so it's not right for us to talk about things like this behind her back."

"Yeah, Raine," approved Genis. "I mean, she must've found out about the world's state by now; it's pretty easy to figure out."

"I hope I don't regret agreeing with you," said Raine. "And these are only theories; not even my own speculations could provide solid evidence. But all I know is that I will not trust her until she reveals any further truth on herself. Do you ever wonder why doesn't speak of anything to us other than resurrecting Emil?"

"I could do it," said Emil, who'd been silently listening to the argument with Marta. "I have the closest connection to her through Ratatosk and the Ginnungagap. Maybe I can get her to say something."

"But Emil, what would you gain from it?" asked Marta. "Are you going to do it only for us?"

"No. Actually…I wanna know more about the person who saved me."

"You better hold off that conversation until after you meet his Majesty," said Regal. "Raine, I will go with you to meet with Jizelle." They descended the stairs together.

"Okay, let's go ahead and meet the King," said Zelos. They guards stepped aside as he opened the doors to the audience chamber. "Your Majesty, we have brought Emil back, as promised."

"You are not one to lie, Zelos," praised the King of Tethe'alla. "Come closer so I can see all of you."

Obeying, they entered deeper into the audience chamber and walked the carpet to the thrones.

"The Chosen of Regeneration and her guardians have come as well," said the Princess of Tethe'alla.

"It's an honor to be in your presence, again, Princess." Lloyd bowed before the thrones.

"What a charmer," Marta teased Sheena, who blushed from behind him.

"Stand before me, Emil," the King's voice echoed across the chamber.

Emil winced, exchanged looks with Marta, and tentatively advanced to the thrones. "I'm here, your Majesty."

"Ah, Emil," said the King. "You have died protecting Sylvarant and Tethe'alla from the demons of Niflheim. Your return to this world symbolizes the existence of true miracles."

Emil felt his cheeks heat. "Thank you, your Majesty. Although, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Marta and Jizelle and the others."

"They all have my gratitude." The King gave a long sigh, and cleared his throat. "Now, concerning Miss De Corbière…"

The name caught him off guard. "…Excuse me?"

"Jizelle," said Presea. "Her full name is Jizelle de Corbière."

"We wished to speak with her, but she is not with you," said the Princess.

"She's staying at the Elemental Research Lab," said Genis. "Actually, she refused to accompany us."

"…That is what I had assumed," said the King, worry etched on his face. "It's been so long since that incident, and Meltokio still hasn't forgiven her."

"What happened then?" asked Sheena.

"While Sylvarant and Tethe'alla were still divided, a hoard of powerful monsters besieged Meltokio," answered the Princess. "They killed most of the civilians and looted the nobles like a group of bandits. Meltokio suspected that bending the will of such monsters required the high power of the elves, and so the capital looks down upon them."

"Because Miss De Corbière is the only elf subsequently coming in and out of Meltokio, she is the sole recipient of the spite of the citizens," said the King. "Even I belittled her then, until she presented herself before me."

The doors banged, and a guard rushed into the room. "Your Majesty, news from Duke Bryant! The monsters from the Coliseum are loose!"

"Regal sent the report?" asked Colette. "He could be down there holding them off!"

"We have to help!" said Marta.

"Your Majesty, we take our leave here." After a quick bow, Zelos departed the palace, followed by the rest. When they reached the stairs, Emil could see Raine, Regal, and Jizelle on the second level, fighting against seven equally large and strong monsters, with a long line behind them from the Coliseum.

Emil, Zelos, and Lloyd drew out their swords. Holding them high, they descended and struck.

"How could they've been freed?" asked Lloyd. He thrust his sword into a mandragora.

"Could this be the same incident the King described?" Genis suggested.

"But those monsters were wild ones that came from outside Meltokio." Presea swung her axe against a fenrir's paw. "These have been tamed and trained for sport."

Amidst the battle, Emil could catch glances of sweeping movements surrounding them, but not harming anybody. Because it was too large to be a bird, he suspected it was a human. He'd encountered teleporting humans in battle, but this was different.

It disappeared behind a manticore that already had its fist raised above him. Emil prepared to guard, but the impact never came. Looking up, he saw Jizelle riding the griffin's side, jabbing an arrow into its neck. "Don't lose your focus!"

"Jizelle, I saw _somebody_—"

"Don't let him distract you." Landing beside him, she drew out another arrow. "He came for me."

"You?"

In answer, she whipped around, holding the bow flat in front of her. At the same moment, a blade struck out of the blur. "Emil, finish the others off!"

"Right!" He saw Marta taking a hit, and forgot about the parry, swinging his own sword: "Dual Death!" With a wail, the monster crashed. He took Marta in his arms, "You okay?"

She nodded at him. "With Ratatosk in core form, I think I found out how weak I really am."

"We can be strong together," Emil wrapped his arms around her. "We'll find a way to return Ratatosk's power and get him to restore the balance in the world."

"Restore the balance…" repeated Raine.

"That's it!" cried Genis. "This must've been an effect of Ratatosk's guarding! Without him around, monsters are likely to run wild, aren't they?"

"You may have a lead, Genis," said Colette, "and considering how long he's been doing so, I think it's urgent that he takes up for his other obligations. We haven't much time left."

"We barely have any," said Sheena."We can't just take the cores; it'll weaken the seal on the door to Niflheim!"

"What a scrape, indeed," came Regal, who delivered White Wolf as the final blow of the battle. "In any case, we must hurry and find a way, or the world will enter into an even graver state than before."

"We should go see Richter," said Emil. "He was able so plan so far as to use himself as a seal on the door. Maybe he could help us out make a new plan."

"Maybe," said Lloyd. "Richter is serving his sentence in Palmacosta with Commander Brute. It would be a good opportunity for you to see them, since Palmacosta is your hometown."

_Hometown…_It reminded Emil of Luin. Aunt Flora and Uncle Alba could still be waiting for him. _A second chance…_"Lloyd, I want to go to Luin first. I made a promise to some special people there."

"We can go wherever on Rheairds," said Presea.

Marta clung onto Emil's arm at the mention of Rheairds. "Finally, I have someone to hold on to in those things."

Zelos raised his brows at her in alarm. "What, you didn't like me holding you, Marta?"

Colette beamed. "It's settled, then. Emil goes to Luin, while the rest of us head to Palmacosta and meet the Vanguard. Jizelle, you're coming, right?"

They all turned to her, and she, in turn, exchanged looks with all of them. "If I may guess, His Majesty was looking for me. From here on, I'll return to bearing myself."

"Jizelle, you're not just some person coming in and out on us," said Marta. "You helped us a lot, and even if we can't figure out your past, you're still my friend."

"I'm with Marta," said Genis. "Jizelle, you don't have to be on your own. Actually, I think it's better if you travel with company. You create more memories."

"If traveling by yourself is your true intention, I will not stop you," said Regal. "But you will always have my gratitude."

"And all our support, no matter how far apart we may be," added Presea.

"I'm glad to have known you even for the shortest while." Emil glanced at Raine. _Did she really mean it? Was she really glad?_

"I refuse to believe that this is farewell," said Lloyd.

And finally, her lips curled into a smile. "It won't be, I assure you." She began ascending to the palace.

"Jizelle!" Emil called after her. "Wait!"

She turned around—giving him a half-cynical look, easily contrasting the expression she had only seconds ago. Wincing for a split moment, he said, "Thank you for giving me a second chance."

"I've told you already: I only returned what had been stolen. For a man who shared his heart with Ratatosk, you're both very different."

And with a shrug, she departed. _Yeah,_ though Emil, _different. But thanks to him and thanks to Jizelle, I'm a human now._


	3. In Shrouded Memory

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Three: In Shrouded Memory**

"Emil, I forgot." On the bridge to Luin's fountain plaza, Marta held out a book to him, and he remembered. "This is going to be a new journey to find a way to strengthen Ratatosk, so I guess we should begin now."

"You're right. Thanks." Emil received the travel journal. "So, I'll start from the Ginnungagap?"

"If you want to," said Marta. "I haven't written anything in there since…months ago."

"How many months ago?"

"Seven."

_I missed out on seven months? What if Aunt Flora and Uncle Alba forget about me? Wait…how could they forget about me? I caused them a lot of trouble seven months before anything began._ "I'll begin after I see Aunt Flora and Uncle Alba."

"Sure. I'll wait for you, and then we'll meet up with the others at Palmacosta."

"No, I want you to come with me. They'd all be staring at me when I go into town."

Marta held onto Emil's arm again. "Okay."

_This will be embarrassing._

* * *

Back then, Luin had treated Emil as a public enemy: a sympathizer of the Vanguard, and a monster. And those same people had their eyes glued on him as he walked past, some even inviting others as if he were a solo parade. "None of them look angry," he said to Marta.

"When we passed by Luin, Jizelle collected memories of you from all of the townspeople because they knew you the longest. The movement was so great, that we had to hold a memorial service."

"Memorial?"

"Because Lloyd was highly respected by the townspeople of Luin, he made it easy for them to relate with you. So they had a memorial—they honor you now as much as they honor Lloyd, Emil."

"I wish you said that earlier, or I wouldn't be feeling so freaked out," Emil sighed. They stopped in front of the staircase above the inn. "Here it is."

From his arm, Marta trailed her hand down to hold his. "I'll be right beside you." She led him up the stairs, and gave two brisk knocks on the door. In no time, it turned open.

"It's you!" gasped Emil's Aunt Flora. But her eyes were on Marta. "Oh, what are you doing here?"

"I brought someone to see you." Marta tugged on Emil, and he stumbled onto the landing. "With the memories we were able to collect, we were able to revive him."

Emil and Flora scrutinized each other. After the long time he'd gone, there was no change. Like he never left. "I…Aunt Flora…"

"Alba!" Flora called back into the house. "Alba, come quick!" And to Emil, she rushed past the threshold and embraced him, even kissing his cheeks and forehead. He had very much been taken aback by her, for she never showed any signs of physical affection to him the first time he came to Luin.

And Alba appeared. Seeing Emil's face, he smiled. "Delayed trip?"

Emil never realized how stuck his throat was until he opened his mouth. Taking a big gulp, he answered, "Yeah, a bit."

"Welcome home, son."

Those words have finally brought Emil out of the brink of tears. They shed freely as he held onto his Aunt Flora, and later his Uncle Alba, who pulled the both of them against him. From behind Alba, he could see Marta, who now stood midway between the house and ground to give room, smiling at him from below. Also watching were the civilians of Luin, applauding.

And Luin itself…for a place he lived in for so long, it was only now that he could truly call it home.

"We better go back inside," said Alba. "We're causing a commotion."

"You, come," Flora said to Marta.

Emil followed Alba into the house. It was just as he'd left it. The beds, the kitchen, and the quilt beside his bedroom door…they were all still there.

Wiping his face, he felt Marta's presence beside him again as she too looked around the house. "Wow, this is where you live?"

"Haven't you been here before?" he asked.

"Not really. I was so caught up in the memorial that I forgot to ask about your place."

"I could give you a tour if you want," he volunteered.

"Are you hungry?" asked Flora, making her way to the kitchen.

Marta waved her hands in front of her. "No, we don't—"

"I'll help, Aunt Flora!" Emil volunteered again.

"No, you sit. The girl will help."

Emil inwardly grimaced. _I really hope Marta's improved on her cooking. I don't want to faint again. Maybe Aunt Flora can teach her._

"Emil," called Alba. "I hope you're still not siding with the Vanguard."

He shook his head. "No."

"And Lloyd Irving. Do you still hate him?"

"No. I'm meeting him later in Palmacosta."

"Good. At least you're not much of a brat, anymore."

"Oh, I'm—" he cut off. He was so tired of apologizing to them. He'd been himself for all those times they've hurt him…was there any justice in that? "…Thank you, Uncle Alba."

He smirked at him. "So you headed for Palmacosta?"

"Yeah."

Alba drew out a bearskin purse from his pocket. "Money. For the fee on Hakonesia Peak and provisions."

"We have a Rheaird," Emil answered. "We can fly around Hakonesia and move on to Palmacosta."

"Take it, anyway."

"No." He had alarmed himself at his refusal. "I can't. I don't want to trouble you."

"I just said that this is your home." And Alba had alarmed him even more. "When you're home, there's no trouble."

"Uncle Alba…"

"I admit, I've been pretty harsh with you. And I believed I was doing it to protect myself and Flora. I was no more than a coward. But look at you. You sided with Lloyd Irving and fought against the Vanguard, and you even got yourself killed. The money's the least I can offer you now."

"No, that's not true!" Emil protested. "You're not a coward. You hated me, but at least you cared for my well-being. And because I hated you, too, I never stopped to appreciate you and Aunt Flora taking me in."

"Emil…" Alba set the purse on the table, and sat on one of the chairs. "We better be ready when they finish."

"Right." Emil sat across from him, and pulled out the travel journal. "We—Marta and I—exchanged thoughts here on our journey together."

Alba raised his eyebrows at him. It was the first time Emil actually got him interested, and inwardly congratulated himself. "When we had company, or couldn't say something in public, we just wrote it down to each other."

"It was easy to see that she loved you," said Alba. Emil flushed. "You love her back?"

"…Yes."

Alba reached across the table, and patted Emil on the shoulder. "Good man."

"Thank you, Uncle Alba." And Emil set down the journal, took out the blue-inked pen clipped onto the spine, and began to write.

* * *

Unlike Luin, Palmacosta had changed. For the better.

The city was back, and there were no longer any traces of the Blood Purge or the Vanguard. But people still stared at him. _I'll get used to this,_ Emil told himself. _I will._

"The others should be in the old Vanguard headquarters," Marta pointed to the building after the east walkway branching from the rotunda. "We better go see them now."

_Right, her father will be there, too. How long had it been since they last seen each other?_ Marta led him through the city, while Emil returned the gazes of the people with a smile. _If I do this, maybe they'll lay off._ To his surprise they smiled back and some had even waved at him, drawing even more attention. _So much for that._

As soon as they entered the headquarters, they stumbled upon the others. "Hey Emil," greeted Sheena, "how was Luin?"

"I was able to work things out with my aunt and uncle. Then we paid a visit to the mayor, and we were seen off."

"I gave him a good meal," said Marta. "Genis, thanks for helping me out."

Genis shrugged. "Sure."

"Richter and Brute are waiting for you upstairs in separate wings," said Regal. "Emil, who do you want to see first?"

Emil bit his lip. Thinking about Richter alone was enough to unnerve him. "I'll go to Brute first."

"Then I'll bring you to Daddy," said Marta. "He'll be so glad to see you."

They climbed onto the second floor and Marta crossed the hall to a wooden door with a small window lined with bars. Outside stood an official, who gawked for a moment at Emil before proceeding to unlock the door.

"Daddy," said Marta. "I've brought him back. Emil."

Emil entered, and met the commander's eyes. "Ah, Emil. I never doubted my daughter for a second when she said she'd bring you back."

"Thank you, sir." Then he realized it wasn't a compliment. "For believing in Marta, I mean."

"I would also like to thank the elf, but Lloyd had told me she left herself behind in Meltokio."

"Yes." His mind drifted to Jizelle, and the blade that she blocked. How many enemies did she make while travelling alone? And how could she face them alone? _I know she wants to carry her own weight, but I can't help but feel sad._

"I had already been informed," said Brute. "With Ratatosk's and the Centurions' combined powers aimed at sealing the door to Niflheim, he cannot oversee the stability of mana. Only Richter had been able to plan that far, but I wouldn't allow him to sacrifice himself again."

"We feel the same way, Daddy," said Marta. "We wanted to ask Richter if he has as an alternative, but if you know something…"

"Yes, you would come to me, as well," finished Brute. "You have to revolve your plan around empowering the cores while keeping the demons locked in Niflheim. Without the cores, the door will open. That circumstance is unavoidable."

"So we have to use something to serve as a temporary seal for the door while Ratatosk and the Centurions regain their strength," said Emil. It was Richter's plan unfolding before him again. _A temporary seal…_

"Mana and magic, in general, react negatively with demons," said Brute. "But an elf…"

"_An_ elf?" repeated Marta.

"It is in elven blood that mana is most compatible with; that's why the best magic users are elves. Therefore—"

"Elven blood is as toxic to demons as mana," finished Emil. "But would Jizelle really…"

"It doesn't have to be Jizelle," said Marta. "Half-elf blood can do. Right, Daddy?"

"When half-elf blood is offered to demons, there is no obvious result," said Brute. "There is a very high risk in sacrificing it."

"So…Jizelle has to offer her blood to the demons…" said Emil. Suicide?

That's never a good idea. He learned that.

"She will give only enough to keep the door sealed," said Brute. "Her survival depends on her stamina: her strength to live regardless of the loss of blood."

_Strength to live…_Emil lived for Marta, for Ratatosk, for his friends, for the world. What did Jizelle live for? She may have been alive for sometime, and could have a longer lifespan ahead of her…what would she use it for?

"That was only my suggestion," said Brute. "You can still think of another way. Listen to what Richter has to say, too. He's waiting for you."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll see you again soon, Daddy." Marta embraced her father for a moment before leaving, and Emil turned to follow her.

"Emil…"

He gave Brute another glance. "…Yes, sir?"

"You have a special ability of seeing through people's masks and into their hearts. Use that ability to your advantage as much as you can."

"I understand, sir."

"Also…don't break my daughter's heart again."

"I won't ever again, sir."

"It was a joke." The cell walls echoed Brute's chuckle. "You will have to raise Marta in my place. Teach her to face her fears, and fight her own battles."

Emil smiled. "Of course." _For both our sakes._

"And that elf…Marta had strung all of her hopes on her. Though I've never met her properly, I want you to thank her for me. That will be my last request."

"I will. When I see her again." _When _will_ I see her again?_

"C'mon, let's go see Richter," said Marta.

"Right. He's in another wing?"

"We'll just follow the hall to the other side of the building. And maybe Lloyd is there."

"Lloyd?" _Oh, right. I didn't see him downstairs._

And just as Marta said, Lloyd was waiting for them outside Richter's cell. "There you are."

"Does he know?" asked Emil, trying to prevent his voice from shaking.

"I took the time to explain," Lloyd replied, "then I waited for you. I thought it you'd want to hear what he has to say…"

"Thanks, Lloyd," said Emil.

Marta unbolted the door and swung it open. "Shall we go?"

They entered, and there was Richter, seated before them. His eyes widened at the sight of Emil. "So it's true…she did bring you back from the dead."

"Richter…" Emil couldn't help but feel so much pity for him. "Thank goodness you're safe."

"By turning yourself into a core, my plan went into pieces."

"I'm sorry."

Richter raised an eyebrow at him. "You are?"

"I-I mean…for thwarting your plan."

"Emil, what are you saying?" asked Marta. "You saved Richter from sacrificing himself, and us from demons."

"But because of what I did, Ratatosk and the Centurions couldn't perform their other responsibilities."

"That consequence was unavoidable," said Lloyd, "but what's done is done. Stop beating yourself over it, and focus on healing that consequence."

"…Yes, I will."

"Richter, Daddy had this idea…concerning elven blood," said Marta. "He said elven blood can be used as a substitute for mana, and that we could use it as a temporary seal while Ratatosk and the Centurions get back their power."

"But will the elf consent to sacrificing blood to demons?" asked Richter. "Elves value their lives greatly, and are generally against bloodshed."

"A reason why they stay in Heimdall," said Lloyd. "Most elves believe that by leaving Heimdall and exposing themselves to the violence of the world of humans and monsters, they will return to the village with corrupted souls."

"That can't be true!" protested Emil. "Not all humans and monsters are corrupt!"

"But they all resort to violence," said Richter. "That elf…she doesn't believe, but she remains cautious. It's the reason why she avoids contact with humans and fights only the aggressive monsters."

"Oh, right. It was Jizelle's Sacred Stone you stole, wasn't it?" asked Emil. "How'd she get it back?"

"She charmed the Sacred Stone so that she could detect it," answered Richter. "I warn you, Emil: she's a strategist. I doubt that she hadn't thought of using her own blood as a seal. But she treasures her life like anyone."

"She'll be doing it to protect the world from demons, and for the sake of Ratatosk," said Marta. "How could a belief like that overwhelm a number of human lives?"

"It's just like Colette," said Lloyd. "The task of world regeneration was very dangerous, and at first, she was willing to die for it. But as it ended, she realized by staying alive, she would be able to protect the world we helped her to recreate."

"…That's close to what Aster said to me," said Richter. "We offered…Jizelle…shelter when she entered Sybak some years ago. In exchange, she helped us with our research. I made one suggestion to send her to Niflheim, because demons couldn't harm her, but Aster was against it."

"To him, it was like throwing a life away," said Emil. "But right now, sacrificing Jizelle's blood might be the only way to strengthen Ratatosk."

"…I don't think so," said Lloyd. "Remember that ever since the Blood Purge, Ratatosk divided himself into two forms—the core on Marta's forehead, and you, Emil. He might be able to do it even in his core form if we can reach him."

"You mean…go back to the Ginnungagap?" asked Marta.

"If we have to."

"I'm sorry if I wasn't of any help," said Richter.

"Not at all," said Emil. "I was glad to see you again, to tell you the truth."

"Hmph. Before anything, you better relay what you've learned to that elf. And, as a personal appeal…Have her train you in my stead."

"So it's back to Meltokio," said Marta. "Thanks, Richter."

* * *

The sun had already sunken halfway as the group left the building.

"I highly doubt that Jizelle is still in Meltokio," said Raine.

"Maybe his Majesty can assist us in relocating her," said Regal.

Sheena shrugged. "I dunno. She moves pretty fast."

"What do you think she's doing now?" asked Colette.

"Beats me," said Zelos. "Anyway, it's almost evening. Since we'll be going back to Meltokio, I want you to stay at my place."

"But Meltokio is a far way from here, even on Rheairds," said Presea.

"It's only sunset. We can still make it," said Genis.

"How about we just go back to Altamira?" asked Marta. "Besides, it's halfway between Meltokio and Palmacosta."

"And on Rheairds, we can catch up to Jizelle if she reaches another city," said Lloyd. "It's settled, we'll rest up at Altamira."

"Declined again," moaned Zelos.

Emil smiled. Though he had been seven months, he was glad none of his friends had changed for the worse. _Guess this is the first day for you,_ he told himself. But the thought of resting did exhaust him. He heaved a long sigh. He was looking forward to falling asleep, knowing that he would be alive the next day.

_Wait a second…_

"Um…guys?" All head turned to him. "If it's okay…I wanna rest up at Luin."

"I'll go with you!" Marta immediately suggested.

"I'll go, too!" Genis raised his hand.

"Me three!" came Sheena. "I'd pick you over Zelos anytime."

"Sheena! Don't steal him from me!" said Marta.

"I don't intend to," Sheena winked at Emil, who flushed.

"So we'll wait for you again at Altamira," said Raine. "Genis, take care of yourself." Lloyd's party left after that.

"Y-you can all stay at the inn below my house," stammered Emil, who was still recovering from Sheena's mock advance.

Marta pouted. "Aww, I wanna sleep next to you again!"

"My bed's too small…"

Marta grabbed his hands. "Then we'll snuggle!"

Emil almost whined in complaint. _Why is it that women never let go?_

* * *

He watched as Marta sat on the bed. "Hmm…it _is_ pretty small."

"Yeah, and it's really stuffy in this room," he said. "Why don't you stay with Sheena at the inn?"

Marta shook her head. "You promised me you'll never leave me."

"Yeah, but…"

"All we have to do is take off some of our clothes."

"Wh-what?"

"Hey, I said 'some.' " Marta then began removing her mittens, her footwear, and her sleeveless cloak, leaving her in burgundy underclothes and her black leggings. "Now you."

"…What should I remove?" Emil asked.

She approached him, and unraveled the scarf. "This, for one." Emil was then left to take off his arm bands, gauntlets, and boots.

"Better?" Marta asked him.

Emil stretched his arms back. "I feel…lighter."

"Me, too. Let's get some rest." Marta climbed back onto the bed, followed by Emil. Upon seeing the single pillow, his heart…sank?

"Can you be my pillow?" asked Marta, more quietly.

"What do you mean?"

In answer, Marta gently pushed Emil down on the bed, tucked his head onto the pillow, and then laid her own head against his chest. "Emil…you're heart is pounding."

He couldn't answer due to a stuck throat.

Marta chuckled below him. "Emil…you'll always love me, right?"

Gulping, he whispered, "Of course."

"Then what's there to be embarrassed about?"

Tricky question. "I don't know…I mean…no girl's ever been so affectionate with me before you came…so I get really nervous and scared."

"You're scared of being loved?"

"N-no, not scared…uneasy."

"So do you feel uneasy when I get affectionate with you?"

"Well…"

"Do you want me to stop doing it?"

There was a big _pang_, before he found an answer. "No! No, of course not. I…I just…I don't know how to respond to you. I mean, I always manage to do something wrong, or I'd be so overwhelmed that I couldn't do anything at all. I'd be so scared if what I do would…disappoint you."

He felt Marta's fingers tracing circles on his chest. At ticklish, yet tingling feeling. "…There wasn't anything wrong with what you did last night, or when we were fighting in Meltokio," she said. "Don't say you're always wrong. Sure you'd be…sometimes. I'll be making mistakes with you, too." She placed her arms on his torso and rested her chin on them, facing Emil. "Admitting your feelings and faults like that…some might think it's wimpy, but I believe it's what makes you a real man."

"You really think so?"

"Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality. It takes courage to confess, right?"

Emil then realized that he admitted his feelings without having to repeat Aster's words in his head. "…Right."

"That's our Emil," Marta leaned over his face and pecked his forehead. After, she rested against him once more. "Let's go to sleep."

"Good night, Marta," said Emil, and then more softly, "and thank you for always being with me."


	4. Deepest Snow

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Four: Deepest Snow**

"They're not here yet," said Sheena, who stood with Emil, Marta, and Genis in front of the Meltokio Gate.

"Maybe they're running late," said Marta.

"Maybe," came Genis, "but it's strange for them to come late if they were closer."

"Lloyd must've overslept or something," suggested Emil.

"I've sent a Mizuho scout to check on them before we left Luin," said Sheena. "He should be back soon."

A few moments later, there came a _poof_, and the said Mizuho scout appeared before them. "Chief, the Chosen's departure was delayed due to an ambush."

"Ambush?" repeated Genis. "Who would ambush Lloyd?"

"They were searching for someone who'd accompanied him until recently. An archer."

Marta gasped. "Jizelle?"

Emil remembered again the blade that Jizelle had parried before him from within the city. "Who ambushed them?"

The scout turned to him. "A group of incredibly strong monsters. And if my eyes weren't deceived, one person."

"One person?" asked Sheena.

"I glimpsed him only once. His eyes were on all of them, but didn't fight."

_Could it be…_thought Emil. "We have to help them!"

"We've gotta ask where Jizelle is first," said Genis. "Then we have to warn her."

"The guards must've seen her leave," said Marta. "I'll go ask."

"We'll also have to report to his Majesty about this," said Sheena. "Emil, you come with me."

With Sheena, they ascended the stairs, past the districts, and stopped before the castle doors. As they opened, Sheena gave the news as she crossed the chamber. "You're Majesty, Lloyd Irving's group was ambushed again by monsters, led by a person who seeks Jizelle. Has she told your Majesty where she's going?"

The King ruffled his beard. "It's just as she'd said. A man hunting her down…"

"What did she say?" asked Emil.

"There was one person who followed her out of Heimdall in hopes of killing her," the King answered. "By sending monsters to attack her, he tries to distract her while he gives the final blow."

"Jizelle's next destination was Sybak," said the Princess, "at the university."

"She's stayed the university before," said Emil. "To help Aster and Richter."

"That's strange; I've never seen her since we met at the Otherworldly Gate," said Sheena. "But if she did stay at Sybak, maybe Director Schneider knows something."

"Then we'll go ahead to Sybak?" asked Emil.

"I'll send the scout back to tell Lloyd." And to the King and Princess, "Thank you again, your Majesties."

Emil gave a curt bow. "Thank you."

They returned to the gate, where they met Marta and Genis. "The guards have no idea," she said.

"Apparently, there are still a lot who don't like Jizelle even after they'd forgiven her," said Genis

"We were told she was headed for Sybak University," said Sheena. "We have to find her and tell her that whoever's after her is really hot on her tail. I'll wait here for Lloyd and follow you there."

_I just can't believe we have to find her after I'd met her yesterday,_ thought Emil. "Well, let's not waste any time. Marta, Genis, we better move on to Sybak."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After another ride, the three stood before the gates of Sybak University. "I wonder what Jizelle is doing in there," said Marta.

"We can only find out by going in," said Genis. "We got some memories off Director Schneider, too, so I guess he wouldn't be surprised to see Emil."

"Memories of me?" asked Emil.

"Oh, right. We haven't explained to you," said Marta. "Well, Jizelle said that when a body separates from its soul, the heart breaks into fragments and resides in the hearts of others—the hearts of those connected to that person. Like me and Genis, as your friends, and your aunt and uncle—everybody you've passed by in your life."

"The trick to resurrection is picking out the right person to revive," said Genis. "Think of it this way: Jizelle reaches her hand into the underworld where your soul resides, and the hands of the other dead fight to grab it and return to life. The more memories you have of the person to resurrect, the easier it will be for Jizelle to find your hand and grab it."

"Really?" _I have no memories of being dead, so I can't recall any hand reaching out to me or fighting over souls._ "Wow, Jizelle made a lucky draw."

"We decided that none of us could afford any chances, so we traveled around the world and collected as many memories of you as we could," said Marta. "But you were right—Jizelle did make a lucky draw. A resurrection can go wrong in many ways."

"I guess that's elven magic for you," said Genis. "Anyway, we have to get to Director Schneider. He may be our last lead to Jizelle."

"And Lloyd and the others will be depending on us to follow that lead," said Emil.

As they approach the university, Marta approached the counter. "Excuse me, but can we see Director Schneider?"

"He is busy at the moment. Would you mind waiting?"

"Well, in that case, what about a woman? A green cloak and a crossbow?"

"Nothing of the sort."

"That's pretty strange," muttered Genis. "Maybe she took them off?"

Marta sighed, "Fine, then: tall, black hair and pale eyes?"

"Richter Abend's former room."

"Richter's old room?" gasped Emil.

The recipient reached her hand to the right. "Second floor, third on the left."

"Thank you," Marta left the counter with a smile and turned back to the boys. "Let's go."

The crossed the corridors, inching their way towards the staircase. "Richter was the last to use his room in the university."

"It would make sense if he stayed there until he helped create the Vanguard," said Genis.

"But that was two years ago," said Emil.

"Three," corrected Marta. "But with Aster dead…maybe they stored his stuff in Richter's room."

"Richter said that Jizelle helped them on their research on summon spirits," said Emil. "Maybe she's looking for something in their old records."

"Or just reminiscing about their past." Marta exhaled her breath dreamily. "Right now, she may be holding a precious trinket that symbolized their friendship many years ago."

"But Jizelle avoids contact with people," Genis said as they climbed the stairs. "Their friendship can't be that deep."

"Who knows?" said Emil. He pointed to the third door on the left wall. "There it is."

"It seems untouched," said Marta. "I really hope Jizelle's in there. I don't want Aster's ghost to get me."

"I don't think Aster's the haunting type," said Emil, and turned on the knob. "Locked?" He knocked, "Jizelle, it's Emil." No answer. "Jizelle?" He pressed his ear against the door. "Are you in there?"

There came a loud _boom!_ and then a sort of ruffling, and Emil stood back as Jizelle burst out into the corridor. Taking one glance at Emil, she cast a seal on the door, and stood in front of them. It was like Genis had said: she had no cloak or bow, and her armor was designed to expose a red tattoo that covered her back.

"That man who follows you…" said Genis, "he attacked Lloyd."

"Dastard," she muttered. "Leave before he breaks through."

"But Jizelle, my father has an idea on how to keep the door to Niflheim sealed while Ratatosk and the centurions get their strength back."

"Here's a guess—use my blood on the door," said Jizelle. "Hide with Schneider. I'll draw him away, and when I'm gone, fly to Iselia. We'll talk there."

Genis fled down the stairs, followed by Marta, then Emil, who heard the door break behind him. _Faster, faster,_ he told himself. In the lobby, they ran up the stairs to their immediate right, and Genis opened the door into Schneider's office.

"Emil? What on earth?!" exclaimed Schneider.

"Somebody's followed Jizelle into Richter's room," panted Marta, "she's leading him out of here now."

"The poor girl. She always has her hands full on him. She never told me who he was, but he's intent on getting to her. It's been one attack after the other, like before."

"That's right: Richter told me she stayed here in the university," said Emil. "What do you know about Jizelle, sir?"

"I know that she dislikes mingling with humans and half-elves," said Schneider. "But Aster and Richter…I thought she was only accompanying them out of obligation. But soon, she became part of them. It was a change for all of us, and I think that she didn't expect it either."

"So what was she doing in Richter's room?" asked Emil.

"She comes every now and then to look at their notes on summon spirits, particularly Ratatosk. Though I fear that she is unaware of Aster's death…"

"You mean Jizelle doesn't know that Ratatosk killed Aster?" exclaimed Genis.

"No…and frankly, I don't think she'll be very pleased to find out," replied Schneider.

"…That's why she was so cold to Richter," said Marta. "If she hadn't known the truth, then she'd believe like everyone else that he killed Aster."

Schneider nodded. "She believed…and she could not believe. She valued both Aster and Richter: Aster for his kindness to other races of humanoids, and Richter, because they were fairly similar with each other. The three share a very mutual relationship together."

"I don't understand why they both have to keep it a secret, though," murmured Genis.

"They're both the same, so if I asked Richter, he'd say it wouldn't concern us," said Emil.

"Well, it concerns us now," said Marta. "Jizelle could've already led him off. Let's head to Iselia."

"But what about Lloyd?" he asked. "He doesn't know about Iselia."

"Maybe Sheena will send a Mizuho scout to find us."

"If that will be the case, I will personally tell him of your location," said Schneider. "I'm very glad to have seen you again, Emil."

"I'm very glad to see you, too."

They leave the building, and in the pergola at the edge of Sybak—everything disappeared before Emil and his mind's eye opened…

_He had returned to the Ginnungagap, his back at the door to Niflheim. _

"_You came back."_

_Emil's ears perked. _That's Ratatosk's voice!

_A cloaked figure emerged from the darkness before him. "And?" He was about to answer when—_

"_Why?" came Ratatosk again._

"_The door was open." Removing the hood of her cape, Emil gasped at the sight of her face. The hair was longer and the eyes were smaller, but the crisp jaw line was unmistakable. "If it weren't for your current state, I'd be labeling you as a halfwit."_

"Jizelle?"

_He tried his throat again. No sound. _"Jizelle…"

"_I thought I already was a halfwit," Ratatosk said to her._

"_And you still are. Look at the state of you; you've abandoned the equilibrium of the mana flow!"_

"_It's not my damn fault I ended up like this! It was that weakling!"_

"You_ are that weakling," Jizelle crossed her arms and glared at Ratatosk…at Emil. A hard glare…even harder than Richter's. "Emil is you, isn't he? By placing the blame on him, you're avoiding that truth. If there really was a coward between the two of you, it would be _you_, halfwit!"_

_Emil stirred as Ratatosk filled himself with rage. "He's afraid to fight, and he can't stand up to me!"_

"_And who fought beyond the Otherworldly Gate?" Jizelle's voice kept its tone, but there was definitely malice. Emil's nape twitched at it. "And why should you even be superior to him?" She turned her back to him. "I'm not wasting anymore time…"_

"Emil!"

With a blink, Marta, Genis, and Sybak returned to him. "…What?"

"You went blank on us," said Genis. "What happened?"

"I saw," began Emil, "…through Ratatosk…Jizelle was speaking to him…"

"Right now?" asked Marta

Emil shook his head. "I guess it happened when you were still collecting memories of me."

"But Jizelle was with us the whole time!" objected Marta. "She never left."

"Let's not be so sure…we can't all keep an eye on her," said Genis. "Anyway, Jizelle has to find us in Iselia, or we'll never know where she's headed next."

"Right," said Emil. _Jizelle doesn't have to keep so many secrets. Why does she do it? Anyway, I might find out as soon as we head to Iselia._

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon arriving to Iselia, they were taken to Frank Brunel's home, where Jizelle sat in Colette's old bed. In truth, it was too small to match her height.

Emil compared her to the person in his vision: her hair was now cropped at the bottom and spiky at the top, her eyes were rimmed with blue but faint-colored on the inside, and her jaw line presented itself with pride as she greeted them.

"So you knew that you could use your own blood as a sacrifice?" asked Marta.

Jizelle raised an eyebrow. "Of course I know that elven blood is toxic to demons. By staining it on the door, they can't even get close."

"Why didn't you tell us?" said Genis

"It wasn't a foolproof strategy. How can I preserve the blood? In time, it will dry up, the mana mixed with it decomposes, and the seal breaks. That will all occur in the span of a year."

"Then we'll have to find a preservative," said Emil. "And…what were you doing in Richter's room? And who's after you?"

"My business in Sybak doesn't concern you…ut you will have to know about Hayden."

"Hayden?"

"That man. Before I arrived at the Otherworldly Gate, I had just shaken him off. He found me again when we arrived at Meltokio yesterday."

"So he was the one responsible for releasing the Coliseum monsters?" asked Genis.

"That is so. Hayden attacks me with monsters, hoping to keep me distracted as he gives the final blow."

"That's pretty pathetic," said Marta. When Jizelle made no remark, she continued, "And that's the reason why you want to travel alone again, right?"

"How were you able to lose him the last time?" asked Emil.

"The Cruxis Crystals," answered Jizelle. "The magic he uses to track me is blocked off by the Cruxis Crystals. So I had to stay close. When you entered the castle in Meltokio, I was out of the crystals' range…and Hayden found me.

"Why didn't you just come back to us after the battle?" asked Genis. "You would've been safe in the range of the crystals by then…unless…he didn't know what was blocking his magic until he saw the Chosen."

"Precisely. If ever he couldn't detect me, he'd at least know I'm around somebody wearing a Cruxis Crystal. And those people could be either of the Chosen."

"But that means he can find you wherever you are!" said Marta.

Jizelle nodded. "Rather that he finds me on my own instead of having company. The hordes he can manipulate are enough to wipe out any unwary city."

"So does that mean you avoid people in order to protect them, and not because you dislike them?" asked Emil.

Jizelle gave him a trivial look. "…Just how much do you know about Richter?"

Emil flushed. "Well…even though he was my enemy, I still idolize him."

"That much?" Jizelle smirked in the corner of her mouth. "You idolized him to the point that he nearly killed you with his first attempt on cooking."

"Urk…!" Emil remembered making a scene in front of Richter_. He actually told her that?_

"Emil, did he really try to kill you?" asked Genis.

"N-no! It was his first time cooking, so…"

"Then he must've tried poisoning you," muttered Marta.

"Really, it was his mistake…"

Jizelle's smirk widened, and she chuckled.

Emil glanced at her, and heaved a sigh to himself. _I wish she'd laugh more, but this isn't funny at all._


	5. Crossroad

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Five: Crossroad**

Before Jizelle put on her cloak again, Emil was able to catch another glimpse of her tattoo. It stretched across her back, even wrapping her arms and belly. It was glinting red, like a large wound that encased blood instead of shedding it.

"I understand that Richter wants me to teach you in his place," Jizelle told him. "I'll schedule your first lesson after we meet in Flanoir."

"Thank you," he said. "Um…Jizelle?"

"Yes, Emil?"

"Back in Sybak…I had this vision. You were talking with Ratatosk."

"Oh?"

"When you first found him in core form…he blamed me for being stuck there…"

Silence, before, "…I see. You caught me calling Ratatosk a coward."

"I heard 'halfwit' more often." Emil blurted before covering his lips. "I didn't mean to say that—"

"No," she faced him, "it's fine. Ratatosk had no right to insult you like that." She brushed her fingers along Emil's face, and he shivered. "Ratatosk may call you a weakling, and Richter may compare you to a dog, but there are still others who treasure you in their hearts. Live for them, and prove yourself worthy of them."

Emil gulped. This is my biggest opportunity to get to know her. "Were there people who…treasured you, too?"

Her eyes widened slightly, before calming into a smile. A charming, smile. Emil felt her brush almost transform into a caress. "Only they can tell."

"Do you love anyone?"

"That's a secret." Removing her hand from him, she reached to take her crossbow. "You haven't been fighting. Practice first before I train you."

When they'd seen her off, she branched away from the main road, and disappeared into the forest.

"I thought she was really easy-going when she spoke to you," said Genis.

"Maybe because you remind her of Aster," said Marta. "That makes getting to know her would be much easier."

"Personally, I think she's nicer than Richter," said Emil. _But she's more onto giving explanations than sharing her past. Neither did Richter. I'm getting antsy just thinking about this stuff._

"So we'll just wait for Lloyd and the others," said Genis. "I just wonder if they're alright…I'm really worried about that Hayden guy."

"Why is that, Genis?" asked Marta.

"He can tame monsters even when the mana flow had been disrupted. His magic must be really powerful, so I don't understand why he has to hide behind them, either."

"You do realize you're sympathizing with our enemy."

"He was just curious, Marta," said Emil. "Anyway, while we're waiting…we can do some fighting in case we have to face Hayden."

Genis shrugged. "If you're up to it. I'll be at my place cleaning, if you need me. It's next to the mayor's house, with the pool in it."

They nodded at him as he left before traveling to the outskirts of Iselia.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**~SKIT: Missing the Cute Things~**

Emil: Genis' house was where we found out that we were tracking Lloyd the wrong way, right?

Marta: Yeah. Tenebrae was with us, then.

Emil: Tenebrae… I miss him.

Marta: Me, too. I never realized because he was always so annoying.

Emil: And without him around, I wouldn't be able to forge pacts with monsters.

Marta: You used to play with the little ones.

Emil: Well, they're pretty cute when they're not trying to ambush you.

Marta: …You never said 'cute' before. And it's extra-cute when you say it.

Emil: You…think so?

Marta: Emil, tell me I'm cute. I want to hear it from you.

Emil: I have to find monsters to practice with.

Marta: Aw, Emil…_please_?

Emil: *sigh* Fine…you're cute.

Marta: Yay, say it again.

Emil: You're cute…

Marta: Again!

Emil: You're cute!

Marta: Again!

Emil: _This is never going to end, is it?_

**~SKIT: Jizelle Off-Screen~**

Emil: So Marta, how'd you guys first meet Jizelle?

Marta: Lloyd said he wanted all of us to return to the Otherworldly Gate for a day—in memory of you, and all. When we got there, Jizelle was already standing in front of it. Zelos tried to hit on her, and she aimed an arrow at his neck. Considering how she avoided human contact and was disliked by most of Meltokio, she was pretty hostile to him throughout.

Emil: Right…the monster attack on Meltokio, and the citizens blamed elves like Jizelle for it.

Marta: Other than that, I got along fine with her. I told her stories about you often.

Emil: Did she reveal anything about herself?

Marta: She's pretty good with everything from combat to cooking.

Emil: Cooking?

Marta: Yeah. She's actually a really good cook; just that her recipes are all weird. Like the first meal she gave us was lamia-ear sashimi, and on another fried bullfrog feet, and most recently, when Regal was out of seasoning, she made a sauce out of a hawk's eye.

Emil: They sound pretty disgusting. Are those what elves really eat?

Marta: She did say the recipes were something she learned while living outside Heimdall, so they couldn't be elven. Her appetite consisted entirely of plants and fruits and cooked meat. The 'wanderer's diet,' Genis calls it. Disgusting to the ears, yeah, but they were delicious!

Emil: Doesn't she order food from stores or stock up in towns?

Marta: She prefers to be self-providing, and I doubt she has any money on her. She hasn't purchased anything throughout the whole trip.

Emil: Except for the money part, Jizelle kinda acts like a man.

Marta: You're right…it makes you wonder how that manliness rubbed off on her.

Emil: Yeah, it does. _Among other things…_

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Emil and Marta returned to Iselia, Genis had ushered them to his house, where the others were waiting.

"Has Jizelle accepted to train you?" asked Regal.

Emil nodded. "Yeah. She said to follow her to Flanoir once we're all together."

"About that…" said Presea.

"…What's wrong?" asked Marta.

"Genis told us about Hayden," said Raine. "If we follow Jizelle now, we'll risk facing him again and Flanoir along with it."

"But Jizelle promised to train me there!" protested Emil. "Without Ratatosk, I can't pass that up! And it was Richter who gave the job to her, so I'd be betraying the both of them if I didn't go."

"But drawing us to Jizelle is the discussion on restoring the balance of mana," said Lloyd. "She has no trouble with offering her blood, but there is still the matter of the preservative."

"The only potential preservative we have at the moment are Colette's and Zelos' Cruxis Crystals," said Sheena. "But that wouldn't be right, either."

"How about this: we split up again—some will accompany Emil to Jizelle to Flanoir, while the rest can find out an alternate preservative," said Genis.

"Those who'll accompany Emil would most likely have to battle with Hayden numerous times," said Raine.

"I've got another idea," said Colette. "Why don't Zelos and I split, too? That way, Jizelle still might have a chance to escape from him."

"Only for a short while, but that's good enough," shrugged Zelos. And since we got wings to travel with, Colette and I can switch every once in a while."

"This will raise our odds to 50-50," said Presea. "It's worth a try. So who will go to Flanoir?"

"I will," said Lloyd. Upon seeing his hand raise, Sheena volunteered, as well. And of the Chosen, Zelos. "So the five of us will meet Jizelle tonight."

Marta turned to the others. "Where will you go?"

"I will have the Lezareno Company aid us in our search," said Regal. "And Sheena, if it doesn't trouble you, may we use your Mizuho scouts as means of communication?"

"Orochi would be the best person to carry that out," said Sheena. "And oh, yeah…we should take Jizelle back to Mizuho sometime."

_What does Jizelle have to do with Mizuho?_ thought Emil. "Lloyd…about your idea on reaching Ratatosk…"

"You'll have to get stronger first," answered Lloyd. "I trained with Jizelle in our journey. Through she uses a crossbow, she's pretty good with blades."

"Seriously? Wow…she's as perfect as Richter."

Marta gave Emil a lethal glare. "Does that mean you like her more than me?"

Emil shook his head vigorously. "N-no, I just admire her a lot."

Marta stomped towards him. "Admire?! You idolize her? You look up to her?"

"I mean—well…"

"What I think he's trying to say, Marta, is that Emil wants to be like Jizelle," said Colette. "A strong person."

"Yeah, that," stammered Emil.

There was a glimmer in Marta's eyes. "So I'm not strong for you?"

"Marta, that's not what I meant at all!" _Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality, Emil._ "Marta, I want to be strong again—for your sake. Even though Richter tried to kill you, he was still the one who taught me; he was my mentor. And he passed that job on to Jizelle. Nothing's changed my feelings for you."

Marta turned away. "…Change isn't all that bad. If ever, I want your feelings to grow stronger with you."

"Marta…"

Zelos cleared his throat. "If you're going to train, then we better hurry to Flanoir. It's not manners to keep a lady waiting." He clapped a hand on Emil's shoulder. "Don't worry, though; I'll make sure Marta is safe."

Sheena pulled Marta to her. "It's my job to keep her safe from _you_."

"Good one!" Genis laughed. "C'mon, I'll see you off."

"Thanks, Genis," said Lloyd.

"Be careful, you guys."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They found her standing on the balcony overlooking the city. "Jizelle," Lloyd called, "Hayden might see you from up there!"

Looking down at them, she leaned over the railing. "Not anymore. Your horrible flirt of a Chosen is better than nothing."

"Don't be so cold, Jizelle, darling," said Zelos. "I came with them for your sake!"

Marta rubbed her shoulders. "Speaking of cold…"

Overhead, Jizelle tossed her cloak, where it drifted into Emil's hands. As he wrapped this cloak around Marta, she pulled him in with her. "Warm up with me, will you?"

"Yeah, it'll be much better if you pass off like that," said Sheena. "You might rouse a sleeping city with your clothes and weapons."

"…I'm exhausted," said Emil, "but if Jizelle insists that I have my training now, I'll go through with it."

"You'll never survive the night with thin garments," said Jizelle. "Rest. We'll put off training tomorrow."

_Wow, Richter would've never said that to me,_ thought Emil. Because they weren't enemies, it was very likely that Jizelle was inclined to his well-being. But so was Richter, right? _So why was she nicer? It couldn't be because of Aster; Richter knew how to treat me, and he knew I looked like him. Why can't she show more than what Richter could?_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**~SKIT: Elven Biopsychology~**

Emil: Jizelle?

Jizelle: Can I help you, Emil?

Emil: I noticed…don't elves have pointy ears? Yours look pretty normal.

Jizelle: Ear shape is a hereditary trait, like hair color and physical build. Pointed ears are merely one of the most dominant traits in elves. It was by chance that I don't have them.

Emil: So what do you have that is…elven?

Jizelle: My magic and my vision, which I utilize in combat.

Emil: What about outside combat?

Jizelle: I would say still say magic and vision in that department.

Emil: Are those all you have as an elf?

Jizelle: Just what do you mean by that?

Emil: Nothing, I just—

Jizelle: Emil, in research, one mustn't have biased opinions on given information, most especially if it comes from a direct source.

Emil: R-right. I'm sorry.

Jizelle: *sigh* Richter's also narrated to me about your excessive apologizing.

Emil: I just can't break out of the habit yet.

Jizelle: Also, he told you that emotions lose their strength when put into words.

Emil: Yes, I remember.

Jizelle: That is the male standard. Women, in general, convey their emotions through words, so they shouldn't be taken for granted. Being an effeminate man yourself, I assume that you open your heart by speaking its language, and that both praise and abasement have great impact on your self-esteem.

Emil: Wow…you sure know a lot. Is that an elven trait, too?

Jizelle: Wisdom is both hereditary and acquirable. I had in mind my readings on feminine mindset as I explained to you.

Emil: You're as amazing as Richter!

Jizelle: You can expect only that as his superior.

Emil: You're superior to Richter?

Jizelle: Are elves not wiser than half-elves?

Emil: Then you've inherited your brains, after all.

Jizelle: I suppose so.

Marta: Emil, what are you two talking about?

Jizelle: I've offered Emil advice on how to communicate better with women.

Marta: Seriously? Jizelle, you're the best! C'mon, Emil! Let's communicate!

Emil: M-Marta, I was on the brink of discovering something!

Jizelle: *smirk, pursed lips*

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They entered the inn, where they rested the night. And Emil can already feel Jizelle's mystery looming over his bed like a shadow. A curious, frightening shadow.

"I can figure out all of this while we're training," he said to himself. "I'll have to know as much as I can about Jizelle…before she goes to sacrifice her blood." _But it's not like she'll die or anything,_ an inner voice countered. He remembered the commander's words: _Her survival depends on her stamina—her strength to live regardless of the loss of blood._

"Strength to live…" _Well, she really is strong. Maybe she will survive. But that doesn't explain why I worry about her so much._

Groaning, he flipped to one side, facing the window. "I don't love her or anything…but I like her a lot. She reminds me of Richter, alright, and I wish I'd seen more of that vision…" he yawned, and heard a faint howl outside as he wrapped his arm around Marta and drifting off to sleep.


	6. Then and by the Uncertainty

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Six: Then and by the Uncertainty**

At dawn the next morning, Jizelle examined Emil's blade before him. "…It's gone dull. I'll have it sharpened at the weaponry."

"But how can I train without my sword?" asked Emil.

"Richter taught you how to _use_ a sword. There are still others to consider. Your reflexes, for example. We'll tackle that today."

"…I guess."

They reached a space between Flanoir and the Temple of Ice, where Jizelle removed her cloak, and exposed once more her tattoo. "Here should do."

"Is it okay for you to take that off in this cold?" asked Emil.

She didn't answer. "Emil, I'll be running around you at high speed. Once you catch a glimpse of me, turn and face me."

"…Okay."

"This will be my first lesson." Jizelle bent on leg backward, in a signal to move. "Start by counting to three."

"…One…two…thr—"

Jizelle set her foot forward, and vanished before him. "What the—"

"Too slow!" Jizelle reappeared beside him before vanishing again. Emil turned his head to the spot, when she moved past him, "Look at me, Emil!"

_How fast is she moving?_ Emil struggled to twist his head in her direction as she slowed before him and quickened away in an incredibly short span of time. _Does it come from elves, too?_

"Keep trying!" Jizelle's voice echoed. "Stay light on your feet! Keep your eyes peeled!"

Emil caught her again in his line of sight before disappearing again, when he felt warmth against his shoulders, and a force pushing down. Shaking off the snow from his face, he looked up to see Jizelle's face hovering over him. "I'm sorry."

"No, my foot slipped. Forgive me."

Emil blinked in confusion. She helped him rise, and he glanced down at Jizelle's feet: the soles and bindings were made of a thin, flexible metal, lined with small yellow gemstones. Other than that, her feet were completely exposed, and visibly red. And trembling. "Jizelle, your feet!"

Jizelle looked down at them, her face unfazed. "…What?"

"Well…they're freezing! You'll get frostbite!"

"…In respects to temperature, I cannot feel heat or cold." Jizelle crossed her arms. "And to move lightly along snow, I have to remove all heavy garments. See." Jizelle held her hand out to the empty hills of snow around them. "All my prints have been swept by the winds."

"…You can't tell whether it's hot…or cold…" Emil bowed his head…when he remembered something she'd ask him to notice. "Then how did you know that Altamira was warmer?"

"It was originally Regal's compliment. He suggested I use it for…initiating a conversation."

"So you're not good with talking to people, either," said Emil. "I guess I can understand, because you initially avoided humans…"

Jizelle minimally shook her head. "You are unsure of your capabilities. To improve, I might have to raise the stakes."

"What do you mean?"

"Can you defend yourself without a weapon?"

"Um…"

Jizelle sighed. "I plan to invoke your reflexes by putting you at risk. I'll tempt to attack you from different angles, and you will have to meet them vis-à-vis."

"Veesa…"

"Head on. Face-to-face."

"…Oh."

"Now, count to three again."

Emil couldn't help but smile, and training resumed. _Jizelle hasn't said one discouraging thing to me. Richter would be threatening me or something by now…not that I dislike him for it. He just puts me down so easily…I'm such a wimp…_

"Emil!" Jizelle came from his right, thrusting at him, side-first.

Emil placed a hand in front of him, and stopped her shoulder from pushing against him. She exchanged a smirk with him before retreating in god-like speed. _But…Jizelle hasn't said one harsh thing to me. And I'm really grateful for that._

He was able to block her next attack. _It must have something to do with what she said last night…_

On his third successful block—a kick to the face—he could see snow nestled against her dark hair, and here, she returned to a normal stance. A cold breeze brushed against his face as she spoke, "Very good, Emil."

"You really think so?"

"Why ever not?" Jizelle picked up her cape, and wrapped the fabric around him. Only then did it come to Emil how close he came to freezing to death, and he began to shiver violently. "You did well, Emil."

"Thank you," he whispered to her.

"Can you walk?"

Emil tried to step—his feet fell asleep, and one sweep across the snow sent an immobilizing shiver though him. "I can't move…"

Heaving another sigh, Jizelle kneeled beside him, and tugged on the cape. "Get on my back."

Emil fiercely shook his head. "N-no, I can't—"

"Yes, you can. Stand behind me and grip my shoulders."

"I didn't mean—"

"Stop protesting!" Emil winced, and tightened the cloak around himself. "…I'm sorry. I cannot afford seeing you like that."

"Why?"

"You remind me too much of Aster."

Emil bit his lip. _Do I really…_In resignation, he followed her instruction. After wrapping the cloak around the both of them, Jizelle hooked her arms round Emil's knees and rose, leaving him to cling at her neck and lean against her back. As walked in a brisk manner, crouching even lower to support him. Jizelle were friends with Aster and Richter, and they meant a lot to her. _Is this really how she treated them before?_

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**~SKIT: Unbearable~**

Emil: Jizelle, why do you use a crossbow in battle?

Jizelle: Piercing weapons shed less blood than slashing ones. But I have one sword in hand whenever I battle specific monster that cannot be pierced. Tortoises, for example.

Emil: You don't like bloodshed?

Jizelle: Who does, unless you're a sadist?

Emil: I met a sadist before, but I don't really think she enjoys seeing blood as you say she's supposed to.

Jizelle: Is that so?

Emil: …You really sound like Richter.

Jizelle: …I was only joking when I said I was Richter's superior. In truth, we were just in line with each other.

Emil: Jizelle, do I really remind you of Aster?

Jizelle: Of course you do. You look like him.

Emil: And his death…

Jizelle: I'm not sure if I can pardon Richter, but lest had there had been a plausible reason, I cannot simply believe that he killed Aster.

Emil: _Right…she doesn't know what really happened. I wonder what she'll say if I tell her?_ Jizelle…about—

Jizelle: Stop. Please, Emil.

Emil: …Okay. *sigh* _She's going to be so angry when she finds out._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marta received Emil as Jizelle set him down at the inn. "Where have you been?"

"Training," breathed Emil, heavily tempted to shut his eyes.

Lloyd offered to provide warm drinks, while Sheena and Zelos had food ordered on their lounging area. Marta held a spoonful of soup to Emil's lips, who smiled and allowed himself to be fed. "Thank you, Marta."

"Where exactly did you train?" asked Sheena.

"Near the Temple of Ice," answered Emil. "Jizelle had me practice on my reflexes."

Zelos rested his elbow on his lap, and leaned his chin on the palm. "And?"

"I passed." He turned to Jizelle. "Where do we go next?"

She shrugged. "My sole intention is to avoid Hayden's watch."

Lloyd heard her statement upon returning. "With Zelos, there is no strain in slowing down. For the sakes of Emil and Marta."

"Maybe we should try your plan now," said Marta to Lloyd. "Return to the Ginnungagap and have Emil communicate with Ratatosk."

"Wait," came Emil. "Before that, I have something to say."

"No worries," said Zelos. "What's up?"

Emil took a deep breath. This will be as closest to a scolding as he would be giving them. "Why didn't you tell Jizelle the truth?"

All heads turned to him; Jizelle, in particular, with one raised eyebrow.

_Brace yourself…_Emil gulped…"The truth…about Aster's death."

"And what of Aster's death?" Jizelle's voice grew colder than Flanoir. "What truth is there? Richter admitted that he murdered Aster."

Marta grabbed Emil's hand in comfort…hers or his? "It wasn't Richter who killed Aster, Jizelle…he tried to reason with Ratatosk to maintain the mana flow, but since he resented humans and half-elves for destroying the Giant Kharlan Tree…"

And here did guilt fully take control of Emil's senses, as rage had then provoked him into becoming Ratatosk. "It was Ratatosk who caused Aster's death. And Righter tried to kill Ratatosk, but Tenebrae escaped with his core. He woke again, assuming Aster's form…and creating me."

"Ratatosk, in human form, was enthusiastic to annihilate mankind, that we planned to seal him away in the Ginnungagap," continued Lloyd, "…and Emil took that responsibility in Ratatosk's place. It was how he came to die, and how Ratatosk was trapped at the door to Niflheim."

In the midst of the silence that followed, Emil tried to read Jizelle's face. Her eyes were glimmering, her lips trembling. Other than that…emptiness. "Jizelle…" he murmured.

Then came an unusual sequence: first, Jizelle bit on her bottom lip, and opened them only large enough to show bared teeth, exhaling through her nose.

"…We're really sorry for not telling you," said Sheena. "We didn't know about your relation to them until…"

"Palmacosta." Her jaw quavered as she spoke in her deepest tone. Emil felt Marta's hand clench around his. No one else made a move but Jizelle, who rose with amazing slowness. "Our next destination…is Palmacosta."

And she turned her back on them.

"Wait!" The cloak drifted off Emil as he caught up with her. "I know you must be feeling really painful right now, but please—don't hurt Richter!"

Jizelle turned her face away, obscuring Emil's view of it. "…No, Emil. You cannot empathize with me. Nor can you realize how overwhelmingly hatred can replace endearment. I cannot assure Richter's safety."

"But you took care of me in training!"

"…Of course I did."

And she strode away.


	7. Requiem of No Tears

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Seven: Requiem of No Tears**

**~SKIT: Unbearable Part 2~**

Lloyd: It's truly amazing how Jizelle could maintain her composure after such a strong blow.

Zelos: Is it really? She could be throwing a fit outside right now.

Sheena: That was as closest to angry as I've seen from her.

Marta: I just don't understand how she could stand just looking at us like that. If someone came and told me Emil hadn't been killed by his best friend, I'd be breaking down right now.

Emil: She spoke to me as if she really wanted to murder Richter, but… I get the feeling it's something else. _And I couldn't even understand what she told me._

Lloyd: I feel the same. She may seem perfect on the surface, but they can also be the effects of her limitations.

Sheena: I can kinda relate with her trying to be tough and all, but this is too much. I'm not going to seeing her suffer like that!

Zelos: What is it with women and trying to act tough?

Sheena and Marta: You got a problem?

Zelos: Cool it! Besides, I don't think it's safe for you to follow her now. If she's really gonna be tough on herself, then let her.

Emil: Zelos…

Lloyd: Zelos had his own hardships during the world regeneration, but instead of acting cynical, he takes it easy. Jizelle has the opposite case, and therefore the opposite effects.

Zelos: Right. Instead of opening up to us, I bet she's gonna break her sharp tongue loose.

Marta: Wow Zelos, I think I can see you in a new light.

Sheena: Yep, Zelos, you can be real useful every once in a while.

Zelos: And what is that supposed to mean? If you stop denying my compliments and let me flirt on your build, you can be pretty useful as well.

Sheena: What was that?

Emil: So I guess the mood's been lifted…*nervous chuckle* _Is it even right for me to feel like this after we put such a heavy burden on Jizelle? Just thinking about it is pretty unbearable._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Emil, let's go talk to Jizelle," said Lloyd. "I'm as guilty of hiding the truth from her as you are."

Marta caught Emil's arm. "I'll go with you."

Emil gave her a sober look. "No. She might get the wrong impression that we're ganging up on her again."

"If that's so, then we better get our stuff," said Sheena. "It's better if she finds us all set for Palmacosta."

Emil nodded in Sheena's accord, and followed Lloyd down the first floor, and into the city. They wordlessly climbed up the highest level in Flanoir, and entered the church.

The first pew on the left contained Jizelle.

Emil approached her (cautiously?) and sat down beside her. She didn't budge.

"Jizelle…" Lloyd broke the silence of the church, "…we're sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize about," she responded in a murmur… downheartedly. "I have only myself to blame for antagonizing Richter the way I had."

"That's not true," Emil found the courage to speak, "even I held myself back on purpose when I found out you didn't know…I guess I was scared of losing a friend."

Jizelle blinked, before slowly raising her head at him. "Emil…you'll have to forgive me."

"Huh?" Jizelle rested her head on his shoulder, nestling it in simple gestures beneath his chin. By instinct, Emil wrapped his arms round her lean form, and as his fingers brushed against her tattoo—

A sting surged through his body, and he momentarily went numb, stars obscuring his vision. _Why…It wasn't like this when she carried me back…_

"Emil, what is it?" asked Lloyd.

"The tattoo…I don't really know…it feels really hot…" Cautious to avoid a second burn, he traced Jizelle's fabric down to her waist, where he clamped his hands on. _Oh…right. She can't feel heat or cold._ He sat upright, and Jizelle kept very still…no trembling, no weeping. Only ticklish sensations along his jaw, and a hard grip on both of his arms, which coaxed Emil into grimacing.

Lloyd was left to stare at the altar. "…Martel…"

Emil also turned his head to the altar, hissing slightly as Jizelle's hair irritated the skin on his neck. "…Lloyd?"

Lloyd returned his gaze to Emil. "Martel granted me protection. Maybe I can touch the tattoo."

"Still…be careful. I have a bad feeling."

"I'll be fine." Lloyd stretched his fingers, and drew them towards the flaming tattoo. Indeed, he had touched it unharmed, but at the same moment, his eyes went pale, and his body froze in place.

"Lloyd!" Emil grabbed his outstretched arm, simultaneously feeling his own hand being hauled…into Lloyd?

His chest got hit in a _thump_, and only then Emil realized that he'd taken a fall. His head had bumped against…the foot of a pew. The pew that had been in front of him. _How'd I get down here?_

"So much for divine protection."

"Lloyd!"

Lloyd, who'd also fallen onto his back, rose ahead of Emil and rolled Jizelle's body that had collapsed onto the seat. "She has completely blacked out. Possibly from overexposure to the cold. Not being able to feel it is no excuse for this."

"So you knew that she couldn't feel…" said Emil. And _here I was, thinking I was as special to her as—_he shook his head. How'd I even come to think that? _I mean, she's special, being an elf and everything…but…I really…_

Lloyd hooked an arm under Jizelle, and hoisted her by the shoulder. "Emil, help me take her back."

Emil stood up and supported her waist. _I really…I'm really…worried about her._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first too see them was Zelos, who immediately took Emi's place and helped Lloyd drag her up the stairs. Sheena followed them with her eyes, "What happened?"

"The cold spread throughout her," answered Emil. "She took back what she said about killing Richter, though."

"So she isn't going to harm Richter," Marta sighed in relief. "Although she showed a bit of it, she must've been really angry."

"I'm kinda having second thoughts about going to Palmacosta," said Sheena. ""What if she loses it in front of him?"

Emil bowed his head. "I don't know if I can, but I'll try to stop it from happening. I'll do my best to get through to her…somehow."

"I'll do my best, too," said Marta. "We'll be right by each other's side."

"Hey, the others and I got rights to stand next to Emil, too," said Sheena. "Hear that, we all got your back. Jizelle's too."

"Thanks Marta, Sheena."

And behind them, the door flew open, and snow entered the lobby. Beyond the threshold awaited a man…and monsters.

As Emil gazed at the blade he unsheathed before them, he recognized the situation at once. "Hayden…You're Hayden, aren't you?"

Beside him, Marta gasped, and Sheena drew out a hand of spell cards. "What the hell?" Around them, civilians retreated to the upstairs rooms.

A smirk curled along Hayden's face as he entered: worn, and shaped with locks of chestnut hair, but his eyes were of a stunning grey and these he aimed with at Emil. "You're those imps from Meltokio."

"Who're you calling an imp?" Marta pulled out her spinners, and that's when Emil realized—_my sword!_

"I must confess, I'd fully expected Jizelle to have left the city already," said Hayden, but in that short time I traced her, it was an alarm for her to remain…on your behalf, perhaps?"

"That's none of your business!" said Emil. "Leave Jizelle alone!"

"You've the nerve to say that without constructing any sort of self-defense?" Hayden scoffed. "Hand the wench to me, and I will leave Flanoir unharmed. Or else—"

"Jizelle is not a wench!" shouted Emil. His sight grew hazy as he charged for Hayden, who timed a grab for his scarf, and tossed him aside. As Emil prepared to rise, Hayden then stomped a foot over his chest and laid his weight in him, eliciting a scream from Emil.

"Quit that now!" Sheena threw one of her cards at Hayden, only to be received one of his own monsters, a raven. "Damn! Emil, hang in there!"

Hayden bent his face closer to Emil's. "I misjudged you; you look _and_ act like him."

_Look…_he watched as his own image reflected against Hayden's eyes, _and act?_ "…Aster?"

"…Yes, I believe that was his name. He'd retaliated in the same way you have. Naturally, I'd given him the same treatment, although I did put some mercy on your part."

"You call that _mercy_?" Marta retorted. "Get your smelly feet off him!"

"You deny me?" Hayden extended his sword to Marta, while burying his foot even deeper onto Emil, who threw his head back in pain.

"Don't hurt Marta," he rasped, "please…don't…"'

"Emil!"

Amidst the battle to regain his breath, Emil could see Lloyd and Zelos descending down the stairs. It was the latter who'd called his name, "we're here for you, buddy."

"Hayden," growled Lloyd, "let Emil go."

Hayden scowled at him, and redirected his sword. "Otherwise? Jizelle herself will come to _me_ if I bait him. I'm no fool to bypass such an opportunity."

_Damn,_ thought Emil, _without a weapon, I can't defend my_—he paused, and remembered…_my last block…_

Mustering as much strength as he was left with, Emil wrenched his fingers around Hayden's foot, and hauled it away. "Marta, use Prism Sword!"

"But what about you?"

"Do it!" Emil began hoisting himself up, when something coiled around his neck and tugged him back. He watched the sword rising over him, ready to cut through him…

"Raining Needles!"

Emil turned: from Jizelle's crossbow sped arrows that struck Hayden and his monsters twentyfold. In the fracas, he felt Hayden's arm loosen around him, only to be swept away in arms again. "Marta, now!"

"Prism Sword!"

Jizelle set Emil onto the stairs, and they watched as crystals showered over the entrance, destroying the monsters and bringing Hayden to his knees. Lloyd grabbed him by the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, and looked past him. Jizelle lowered her left arm that contained the crossbow, and with her right hand, bent and picked up Hayden's blade. This she zeroed towards him, aiming for his throat. And in turn, Hayden…smirked. "…You know you can't kill me."

"I can always kill your voice," said Jizelle, with arrogant coolness. "For a man who thoroughly believed in honor, surely you've kept any of your own after this ambush?"

"What do you mean?" repeated Sheena.

And Hayden's smirk transformed into a cynic smile. "You haven't told them yet."

"I waited for the right time." Jizelle tossed the sword away, and climbed the stairs. Her eyes momentarily met Emil's, and for the first time, he saw…regret. "I'll spare your tongue…for now."

She disappeared onto the second landing, and Emil's thoughts spurred. _What about honor? What did she regret? Richter? Aster? Hayden?_

Hayden rose, sheathing his sword. "…She ran away."

"Ran?" asked Lloyd. "Ran from Heimdall?"

"From Heimdall…from justice…from me." Slowly removing his cloak, it floated down, revealing armor of tin and mail.

Only one arm jutted out of his sleeves. His sword arm.

At the sight, Marta screamed, and sped up to Emil, burying her head against his chest. "I can't take it," she gasped, "I can't stand things like that!" Emil pulled her close, and he too, looked away as memories of the Blood Purge attempted to recreate themselves vividly inside him.

"Why the hell did you show that to a girl?" asked Zelos. "You practically shoved it right at her face!"

"Wait a sec," came Sheena, "don't tell me Jizelle did that to you?"

"Then I won't."

Emil's ears perked. "Jizelle…cut off your…arm…?" His voice acknowledged it possible, but it wasn't acknowledged as true. No way could it be true.

"She dismembered it when I fought her in the borders of Heimdall. Before I fainted, I planted a tracing mark on her back."

"…The tattoo," said Lloyd. "Without the resistance of the Cruxis Crystals, the mark will excrete enough mana for you to detect it even from a faraway place. That was why my body froze as I touched it—too much mana had channeled into me and paralyzed my senses. But what about Emil's case? He burnt himself."

"His reaction might have been less because he's recuperating," said Sheena. "So that means the mana inside him is still regenerating itself, right?"

"I guess I did feel stronger after touching it once," said Emil, "and when I grabbed for Lloyd…" He looked down at Marta, whose calm had returned. "You okay?"

Marta nodded at him. "I'm sorry I ran for you."

He caressed her hair. "I understand. The Blood Purge."

Marta hung her wrists onto his shoulders. "It didn't start there. When Daddy and I returned to Palmacosta after the attack of that tree, I'd seen my mother's body in pieces. Since then, I get traumatized when I see someone with a missing limb."

Zelos bent down and laid his hand on her shoulder. "That was our fault. We're sorry."

Below them, Hayden cleared his throat. "I apologize for my intrusion. I'll be taking my leave here."

"Wait!" called Emil. "I want to know first: why would Jizelle leave Heimdall?"

Hayden tilted his head towards him. "She murdered someone…someone we all loved." And in a quieter tone, "The irony is…she loved her more than anyone else had. More than _I_ had."

Marta did not show her face to Hayden again until now. "How much did you love that person?"

"We were to marry." And as noiselessly as he'd entered, so did Hayden leave.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't believe it," said Sheena. "No way am I going to believe that crap. Jizelle won't kill anyone, especially anyone of her own race!"

"Hayden was serious, though," said Lloyd. "She must have a good reason for doing it, I'm sure."

"That's exactly how I feel," agreed Marta. "And…there was something Director Schneider had said. Jizelle and Richter got along because they shared the same experiences. If that was so, maybe somebody else was responsible for the murder."

"He doesn't look like the type to believe in anything else," said Zelos, and he turned to Emil. "What do you think?"

"I feel the same way as all of you," answered Emil. "Also, I think we could relate to her a lot more because we know she's loved someone."

"That someone was a _girl_," said Zelos. "Maybe her best friend or something?"

"I don't like that guy Hayden for one second," said Sheena. "He was completely taking advantage of Jizelle. I saw it!" All heads turned to her. "His eyes were downright cruel…and Jizelle had to step down. And the way he treated us _after_ the battle—"

"He was two-faced!" concluded Marta, now also growing angry. "He shows off his one arm, and totally avoided Emil's question with a lousy story! I hate that!"

Emil, however, had other questions in mind. "Maybe…we could clear things out at Palmacosta. You said it yourself, Marta: Jizelle and Richter might've had the same experiences."

"All the more reason to go there," said Zelos. "We've caused a bit of commotion here in Flanoir, and, we better be out of here before Hayden stalks us, again."

"I have a suggestion," said Sheena. "I think this would be the best time to take Jizelle to Mizuho. Why don't we go there on our way to Palmacosta?"

"That's fine," said Lloyd, "and also, it may be for the best."

"I've been meaning to ask," began Emil, "but what does Jizelle have to do with Mizuho?"

"I woman named Mameha lives in Mizuho," said Zelos. "You can say she was Jizelle's foster mother."

"Foster mother?"

"Mameha took care of Jizelle as she left Heimdall," said Marta. "She comes and goes from Mizuho since then."

"I was surprised to find out, because I'd never seen Jizelle in Mizuho before," said Sheena. "Anyway, Mameha's the person who'd be willing set Jizelle straight, so we might as well lose some tension there."

Emil looked down onto his hands, palms sweating between the black mitts. "Mother…"

"…Emil?" came Marta.

"Memories of my mom…they weren't real. Lana wasn't even _my_ mom…"

Marta snaked her arms around his shoulders. "Flora, then. Flora could be your mother figure."

"Aunt Flora…"

"She's your family now, isn't she? What's wrong with treating her like family? And besides, now that she loves you…"

_Love me…?_ Emil reached for one shoulder and grabbed her hand. _Aunt Flora…loves me now…it was Marta's cause._

"Instead of 'aunt,' why don't you just call her 'mom' when we get back to Luin?"

"It's the same situation with me," said Lloyd. "I call my old man 'dad' even we weren't related."

Emil shook his head by instinct. "I don't know…it'll be really awkward to call Aunt Flora 'mom' all of a sudden…"

"Will it not please her?"

"Jizelle?"

Jizelle had arrived, grasping Emil's sword. As he took it, her hand pulled away. "It will be awkward, yes, but more importantly…will you please or disappoint her when you say it?"

"I…I don't know."

"…Just as I thought." With her free hand, Jizelle tilted Emil's chin, and made eye contact with him. The warmth had returned; the Jizelle he had depended on had returned. "When facing your enemies, you are easy to provoke, and when facing your allies, you doubt." And she leaned her own face closer, "Your reactions have reversed along with your behavior."

Emil replayed her voice in his head. _She's right! Before, I wasn't sure how to face my enemies, and I immediately sided with those who cared…_Richter.

Still with her fingers beneath his jaw, Jizelle placed Emil's sword against the arm rest, the sheath poking into Emil's thigh. "It's a relief to know you're not _completely_ like Aster," she said, and released him. "I heard that we we're passing by Mizuho."

"Is that fine?" asked Marta.

"I had plans to see Mameha. And with Hayden in hot pursuit…"

"But seriously, Jizelle…did you kill his fiancée?"

"Fiancée…" Jizelle slowly nodded her head. "I believe he proposed to her the night before…"

"But why?" Lloyd asked. "You're not that kind of person!"

"I'm not. And that's why I don't plan on doing it again."

"So why'd you do it then?" asked Zelos. "You loved her, didn't you?"

Jizelle turned to him, "And that was why I needed to."

_That was the same answer she gave me when I asked about Heimdall,_ thought Emil. _Why is it so necessary to kill someone out of love? I don't understand…_He noticed Lloyd's expression shift as he now bit his lip and his eyes were downcast. He didn't understand that, either.


	8. Aurora Prevailing Heaven

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Eight: Aurora Prevailing Heaven**

Emil shielded his eyes as the sun poke through the clouds over Mizuho. "That's it. We're here. Sheena, I thought you were going to move."

"I know, but when I was invite to get memories of you, I just had to hold it off for a bit," answered Sheena. "I wouldn't want you leading the way to nowhere."

"Thank you."

They entered the gates, and Jizelle led the group into the back of the village, all the while ignoring stares from the people, even scowls. A shack was supported by wooden beams over dry soil. Removing her hood, Jizelle climbed onto the landing and pushed the door open.

A voice greeted them inside, "Children."

"Mameha," Jizelle whispered before embracing the old woman.

"Mameha, we've brought a friend," said Sheena, placing a hand on Emil's shoulder. "This is Emil. Jizelle resurrected him."

Mameha scrutinized him with a composed expression. "Yes, I'd been told someone has returned from the dead." She turned to Jizelle, and held her hands. "I'm glad you offered your service to these people."

"What use is talent without service?" said Jizelle. "You taught me those words."

"Yes, dear. I praised you the way I did so I could hear you say them." Emil watched Jizelle's face grow pale…for a second before it reddened. She tossed her head away. Mameha chuckled, "I'll make tea. Children, stay."

They took seats around a low table, and waited. Among them, only Sheena and Jizelle could tuck their legs and cross their ankle's underneath themselves. Emil tried, but his leggings had very much discomforted.

"So far, so good," said Zelos. "Hey Jizelle, you feeling better?"

"Aren't you?" Jizelle asked back. "Mameha purposely cleansed the energy of her house to dispel all malicious intentions."

"So you're really _not_ going to hurt Richter?" asked Marta.

"The negative energy is dispelled from the house. They'll be waiting around the barrier's edge, so I'm not completely sure."

"Maybe we should stay here, until you've recovered," said Lloyd. "You passed out in Flanoir, used artes on Hayden, and traveled without a rest."

"Lloyd, I'm fine." Emil momentarily caught Jizelle's eye before they both looked away.

There was a sliding sound, and Mameha arrived, her clothed feet shuffling as she crossed the wooden floor. Her hands were full with a tray of cups, which Zelos and Sheena volunteered to distribute as the old woman sat with them.

Emil held his cup to his nose, and sniffed. _Milk?_ He glanced at the others' cups: herbal tea. He was reserved one cup of milk tea. _Some miracle._

"Emil, wasn't it?" Mameha spoke. Emil nodded. "Ratatosk bore you."

"Yes. Ratatosk and I are…were…"

"One same and two different persons," said Lloyd. "I'm only very glad to know that he'd changed his mind about destroying mankind."

"Do they confirm?" Jizelle asked Mameha, who nodded.

"Confirm?" repeated Zelos. "Confirm that Ratatosk's turned a new leaf?"

"Yes, it's true." Mameha took a moment to sip his tea, and everyone else instinctively did the same. "By whose influence it was…"

"Emil's," Jizelle answered immediately. "It was Emil who trapped Ratatosk in his place. It gave the halfwit a time to reflect, I suppose."

"I thought that the house kept away malicious intentions," said Sheena.

"Intentions, not thoughts or words or deeds. All he talked about was vengeance, his plots to destroy the world which he'd given mana to live with."

"Were you…friends with Ratatosk?" asked Emil.

Jizelle exhaled through her nose. "Ratatosk was never friendly to begin with. But when it came to his responsibilities…you might say he sobered. Just a tad, but it was very plain."

"And now that you know that it was Ratatosk who…" Sheena paused, "…killed Aster, what are you going to do with him?"

Mameha stared at Jizelle, eyes wide. The latter avoided her by running her eyes over the walls and ceiling. "…The house took away my answer."

Zelos laughed. Aside from Mameha, he was the first to laugh. "Seriously—you're spunky, hot, and funny rolled into one! I like that!"

Jizelle raised an eyebrow at him. Emil could not help but snigger; it was a very new experience. "_Like?_ Zelos, I aimed my hostility at you, and you still…_like_?"

"Zelos is like that with women," shrugged Sheena. "As long as it's an appealing young woman, he wouldn't care about anything else."

"You know that's not true," said Zelos. "Marta, angel, is that true? You heard all the things I said about Jizelle back in Flanoir, did you?"

"Things you said about me?" And here, Emil shuddered at Jizelle's now cynical tone. He literally jumped when she looked at him, simultaneously reaching for an arrow. "Emil, be a kitten and tell me everything he'd said."

Emil thrust his mug down onto the table. "Wait a minute; I thought this house prevented bad intentions."

"I punctured the barrier and let them filter," said Mameha. "I would also like to know the Chosen's opinions regarding my daughter."

"Emil, tell us!" said Jizelle.

"On second thought, Emil, you better not tell them," murmured Zelos.

Emil eyed mother and daughter, who returned him with cold glares. _Talk about double trouble._ "Whatever you may be thinking, it's nothing bad," he said. "Zelos cared about Jizelle as much as we did, and held us back when I tried going after."

"I assure you, Zelos is a very trustworthy person," said Lloyd. "I didn't think any of our journeys together would be anywhere near complete if not for him."

Zelos waved his hands in denial. "Now Lloyd, bud, I think that was a bit overboard…"

"I agree with Lloyd," said Emil. "Back when we were still searching for the Centurions' cores, you were really firm on believing that Lloyd wasn't responsible for the crimes by Decus. You made me reconsider my impression on Lloyd so many times, and now, I realized I never thanked you for that…"

"It's okay. You thanked me by saving Seles."

_Seles…Zelos' half-sister,_ thought Emil. _She was kidnapped by Decus, who was impersonating Lloyd, and was taken to a Vanguard base…_"Oh, by the way, what happened to Cape Fortress?"

"When Daddy disbanded the Vanguard, the place had been emptied," answered Marta. "I haven't heard anything else about it."

"It would be shameful to leave it at that," said Jizelle, who'd visibly calmed. "Ever since the two worlds merged and the Vanguard infiltrated the area, I steered clear of it. If it's now empty as Marta says, I'd like to visit it once again."

"Maybe we will, when we need to return to Meltokio again," said Lloyd. "What do you do at Cape Fortress?"

Mameha eyed Jizelle. "Yes, what _have_ you been doing?"

"Cape Fortress was originally part of Sylvarant, correct?" Jizelle asked back. "And when the two worlds merged, it attached itself to the Meltokio region at the border which separated the continents. It was a remnant of the Sylvarant Dynasty. Who knew what might've been left in its ruins?"

Mameha's brows rose. "Ah."

"What is it, Mameha?" asked Sheena.

The old woman shook her head. "I wish I could tell you, Chief, but your grandfather might already know you're here. I wouldn't want to delay you." And to Jizelle: "You arrived in time for an archery contest. Make sure you spend the night here."

Sheena and Jizelle both faced Mameha, laid their hands on the floor, and bowed low before her. "Thank you for tea."

"Mizuho villagers can act really strange," Emil whispered to Marta.

"You can't blame them," Marta whispered back, "especially not Jizelle. She isn't even from Mizuho. I wonder what Mameha couldn't say, though. Jizelle must've been searching for something in Cape Fortress."

"As much as I want to know what it is, I don't think she needs it as badly as now."

"Yeah, you're right. Why don't we watch her in the contest?"

"I'd love to."

Marta's smile widened. "Let's call it a date, then."

Emil almost threw himself back. "A date…?"

"You two planning out your first date?" asked Lloyd.

Zelos grinned. "Emil, you rascal! You just come to me for expert advice, okay?"

"Better not teach him to drool over breasts," grumbled Sheena.

"Hey, I said expert advice!"

Sheena smacked him. "Yeah, like juggling between girlfriends?"

And the next thing Emil knew, Marta, Zelos, and Sheena were all over him. From behind, he could see Lloyd, Jizelle, and Mameha exchanging looks with one another. _Why do they overwork themselves over me?_ And he tried one thing he hadn't done before: "Jizelle, help me out."

She blinked once, and began to rise. "There could be no time for planning," she said. "The archery contest will start much too soon. The date will have to hold."

Marta went from eager to downcast. Emil grabbed her arms. "Let's have that romantic stroll you wanted tonight," he said. "How's that sound?"

Marta's face gleamed again, and embraced Emil. "Oh, I'd love to!"

"Way to raise her hopes," said Lloyd, who gave this foolish-looking smirk. When Emil made no comment, it dawned on the former, "You're really going to do it?"

Emil shrugged at him "Sure. To be honest, I don't think I'm being fair with Marta when I get worried about anything that's okay with her."

"What a sweetheart," complimented Mameha. "Such men were all I had in my day. I never knew what became of them."

Jizelle was frigid. She crossed her arms round herself. "They died in the hearts of monsters…they died by the hands of monsters."

And on Mameha's time-worn face, Emil could see that she wished she'd taken back her words.


	9. Aurora Shadowing Fraudulence

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Nine: Aurora Shadowing Fraudulence**

_Jizelle crossed her legs over the lit floors and hauled the bag over her back. One hand pulled out a halved crown while the other held onto a rusty garnet. Judging from her unusually young appearance, Emil cautiously speculated that this was an old memory of Ratatosk's. _

_Emil watched as Jizelle placed the crown on her forehead, and felt Ratatosk's arrogance presenting itself. "Suits you perfectly," he heard him say in mock praise._

_Jizelle scowled at him. "You're one to talk, regent."_

"_Oh yeah? Whose regent am I?"_

"_How would I know? I'm not an ageless summon spirit."_

"_Yeah, you're not. You're a deceitful witch."_

_Jizelle pulled out a rod, scrutinizing it. "And where is the deceit in showing you my latest attainments?"_

"_You're not gonna sell them to me."_

"_And what would you do if I did?" Jizelle fit the garnet into spikes on top of the rod. "Ah, a scepter." Turning to Ratatosk—and Emil—"Surely you can find a better use for a halved crown and a battered scepter than to impose a tyrant in your genocide."_

"_You want me to?"_

"_You're already one without them."_

"_What the hell was that?!"_

_She confronted him with a mirroring arrogance, along with a trace of victory. "Nothing. I merely said you were a halfwit."_

Emil was dragged back as Zelos jabbed his arm. "It's Jizelle's turn."

He blinked. "Jizelle's turn?" Zelos pointed to out into the archery field, where he'd spotted Jizelle by her spiky hair. She'd changed into a pale-colored kimono and hakama, and was accepting the bow that she would be using for her shot: a longbow that required the string to be hand-drawn. He turned to Sheena. "Isn't using a normal bow different from crossbows?"

"I taught her archery with those longbows," answered Mameha. "And from there, she moved to stronger weapons. Naturally, it was for her survival."

Emil watched as Jizelle raised her arms, drawing the arrow back at the same time. The string tugged past her ear, and the arrow leveled with her brows. Her left hand gripped lightly on the bow, with the index finger even raised loosely above the arrowhead.

"That's a perfect stance!" exclaimed Sheena. "I can't believe Jizelle hasn't used those kinds of in a long time!"

"Actually, I'd seen her adapt that stance with her crossbow," said Lloyd. "So her body could've memorized it by heart."

"Then let's see what she could do with that perfect stance," said Marta, jealousy evident in her tone. They returned to Jizelle, who'd remained still throughout the conversation. Emil then eyed her target some meters away. _She's got elf eyes,_ he thought, _so what's keeping her?_

_Swoosh!_ The arrow whizzed past the corner of his eye, and pierced the target circle—centimeters to the right of the center.

Emil blinked twice. "I thought for sure she was getting a perfect score."

"Archery is not simply technique," said Mameha. "There is still the wind. The wind can still affect the arrow's movement as it crosses. "

"So the wind did it?" asked Marta.

"Most likely," said Sheena. "Come to think of it, I _do_ feel a breeze."

"Yeah…it's pretty cold for an afternoon," agreed Zelos.

Emil tightened the scarf around his neck. He had noticed the cold only after Sheena'd brought it into subject. "Here's Jizelle's next round."

Jizelle resumed perfect stance again, and Emil could see her eyes focusing on the target: the irises shrunk as the lids narrowed.

She released the string, and the arrow zoomed past them again, pinning closer to the center. Jizelle blinked, and Emil noticed a glimpse of disappointment, even annoyance.

The wind grew stronger as clothes ruffled. Overhead, dark clouds were forming. "A storm?" asked Lloyd.

"Storms don't have this kind of wind," said Sheena. "Especially not before it starts."

"It couldn't have been caused by anything else," said Zelos.

Emil returned to Jizelle, who, despite the wind, took stance and readied her bow, tilting it against the wind with a twist of her waist. "Something's out there," he said.

Marta grabbed his arm. "You sure?"

"Yeah. It might be whatever's causing of the winds." _Jizelle could see it. I'm sure._

The arrow went flying, and they witnessed the wind drive it from the left and rightwards…

It stopped dead center against the target.

And the target wailed.

Lloyd and Zelos simultaneously rose from their seats as a garuda materialized before them, sprawled across the ground.

Jizelle tossed the longbow away and walked across to the garuda, laying her hands on it. They were then encircled by a spell. Emil blinked, "A forging spell?"

"She's making a pact with the garuda!" said Sheena. "I thought Ratatosk or a Centurion had to be present to do that!"

"Maybe her mana is somehow intertwining with their mana," said Marta. "You know, like channeling mana to each other."

"That would make sense because she's an elf," said Lloyd. "Elves can manipulate mana the most flexibly among the humanoids."

The spell circle disappeared, and the garuda gave what sounded like a warble. Jizelle bowed over the monster, panting.

"She must've added healing arts in the pact," said Zelos.

"Will she be okay?" asked Marta.

Emil entered thought. From his most recent vision of them, he could judge that Ratatosk and Jizelle had a…personal relationship. Could this have benefited from that relationship? He turned to Marta: "I want to try forging pacts, too. Maybe Ratatosk left some power in me to do it."

"You're free to try," said Sheena.

He nodded. From the corner of his eye, he could see Mameha bite down on her lip. Was it mother's intuition coming into play? Jizelle rose back, and caressed the bird on the head. He watched with a newfound curiosity. _Affection with monsters…?_

"I'll definitely try," he said. "Anything to keep her from sacrificing any blood."

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Emil took Marta's hand and led her out the door. He looked out into the sky. "Wow, So many stars."

"Romantic, isn't it?" said Marta.

He flushed. "Yeah…I guess. C'mon." He pulled on her arm, and they entered the darkness. "Let's start with around the village."

And they ambled away from Mameha's humble residence, and leftwards around neighboring home, hand in hand.

"So Marta," began Emil, "how much…did you think of me back then?"

"I always thought of you, Emil, then and now," answered Marta. "When I came across situations, I asked myself, what would Emil do? What would he want me to do? Sometimes, I even imagine myself talking to you." She gripped tighter round his hand. "But talking to you for real, right now…I've never felt better."

"I'm glad you are."

"Aren't you?"

"…What?"

"Aren't you glad that you're alive?"

"Of course I am," he answered by instinct, and realized that Marta had avoided asking him regarding herself. He took a deep breath, "But I'd be even happier to live…if I did so by your side."

Marta leaned against Emil's shoulder, and they kept silent until they rounded the hut…meeting the injured Garuda, and Jizelle's lean form against it, head bowed. Beside her was a large container of what smells like alcohol, set on her cape, which served as a picnic carpet.

Her eyes wavered up to them, and gave a little smile. "Best not draw near, children."

"Jizelle…are your drunk?" asked Marta.

There was a handle of rope by which Jizelle grabbed the alcohol, and held it to her face. "…Not yet."

"Something tells me," Emil blurted, "that you're a dangerous drunk."

"Isn't that rude?" Emil was uncertain to decide on whether she was serious or sarcastic. She was drinking, after all. When she finished, she gave a long sigh. "I won't ask you to refill this _kakubin_."

Emill averted his eyes past Gizelle, and at the garuda. "…How did you know?"

Jizelle slowly lifted a hand over her eye. "They can tell."

"Elf eyes can determine shapeshifters?" asked Marta.

Jizelle shook her head. "Elves do not see with human eyes. One of our own gifts is to see mana."

"Like the magic that disguised the target," said Marta. "Your people don't have much a downside, do they?"

"Oh, they do." She set down the container that Emil and Marta now knew as the _kakubin_. "They have a common fear…disjunction."

In spite of Jizelle's warning, Marta sat down beside her, beckoning Emil to join them. "We have time."

Smiling, he brought himself onto the crusty soil, and laid his hand over the garuda, stroking its feathers.

"Disjunction," continued Jizelle, "ever since elves descended from Derris-Kharlan, they've lived all of their lives in Heimdall. They fear that if the manner in which they lived is disrupted, so will their selves' fates. And so, to each other, they warn that departing from Heimdall would bring corruption and destruction. It gradually became their life. It became a rule--a basis for Heimdall on which they built their law."

" 'They?' " repeated Emil. "You didn't side with them?"

Jizelle shook her head. "In Heimdall lived the one who loved me the most. In turn, I loved her. We both believed in change, but…things went too far."

Marta leaned closer to her, "Are you talking about Hayden's…"

"Who else could it be?" Raking a hand though her hair laid her back onto the garuda's body, pulling a wing over herself. "That's all I can say. You children return to Mameha soon."

Emil then remembered his recent vision. "Wait," he said. "Jizelle…how close were you with Ratatosk?"

She blinked at him, but answered, nonetheless: "Close enough to forge pacts with him…no matter how far."

He hesitated for one small moment, before saying, "That isn't what I meant."

Her lips pursed, and she stared at him as if reading his mind. In the end, she answered with a smile, "I'm as close with Ratatosk as I am with you."

Emil's fists, which had been closed, twitched themselves open, and then came the weight of regret. "I'm sorry…"

"However," she went on. "You're closer to me than he'd ever been." From beneath her covering, she stretched out an arm to touch his face again. "Though you and Ratatosk were originally one person, it is your feelings for others that make you different from one another. It is what proves that you had existed as yourself, and not as his shadow."

Emil glanced at Marta, whom he expected to react in spite, but instead saw her beaming. "I agree with what she said, Emil," she told him. "With everything she said."

Emil then touched Jizelle's hand. "Thank you…both of you. Ever since I found out I was Ratatosk, I couldn't bring myself to think otherwise. That in some way, I was also responsible for what he'd done. It was that feeling that told me to repent for Aster in his place, and…"

"Hush." Jizelle wiped a tear that stole away from Emil's eyes. "The past has passed. Remember what Regal told you."

"Let your invoke you to live your life in the present," reminded Marta. Emil remembered, and along with it, the painful look that had been in Jizelle's face then. Before, he had wondered. Now, he'd understood.

He prepared to ask her a brave question, "Jizelle, have I changed you?"

"Yes, you have." It had been, so far, her most direct answer that day, other than the nods and shakes of her head. By that, he could tell that she meant it. "After she died, I stop believing in change. You brought me back."

He sighed in relief. "I'm glad I could help."

"I am, too." She brushed her lips against his forehead. "Marta, come." Marta leaned her face forward, and Jizelle planted a kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight, children."

Emil rose, and helped Marta up. "Good night, Jizelle."

And Emil was ever happier as he watched Jizelle sleep, and that he could see it for the first time where she was smiling.


	10. Fraternity of Snakes

**A/N:** I began to think that it was really rude not to insert any sort of note in this fic. People would think I was such a snob. Anyway, XHatch reaches ten chapters! Hooray! Thank you to all who've been reading this fic, and MORE thanks to those reviewing! Hopefully, you like the story as far as it's gone, and that you'd stick to read the next chapters!

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Ten: Fraternity of Snakes**

"All set for Palmacosta?" asked Mameha.

"Yeah," said Zelos. Mameha exchanged looks with him before going to Jizelle, touching her arm.

"I really think Jizelle's feeling better," said Sheena. "I guess she took back what she said about harming Richter."

"The barrier around Mameha's house works wonders," said Lloyd. "Emil, you think so?"

Emil nodded. He watched as Jizelle held Mameha's hands, reassuring her of something. "Yeah, she looks a lot better."

"Will she bring the garuda?" asked Marta.

In answer, the monster that had been resting behind the nearby house hopped towards Marta, and lowered his head for her to stroke.

Jizelle arrived not long after. She smiled at all of them. "Have we left anything?"

"Wait a second, aren't you worried that Hayden's out to get us?" asked Zelos.

"Around this point, he'd be after both you and Colette, not me" she answered. There was a slight pink visible on Zelos' face. "Sheena, where are the others now?"

"Orochi last reported to them in Asgard. They were going to find a way into the Balacruf Mausoleum."

_The Balacruf Mausoleum…?_ thought Emil. "Richter and I had been there." All heads turned to him, Sheena and Marta unsurprised. He told the others about their business in the mausoleum.

"So that was why the Balacruf Tombstone was gone," said Jizelle. "Sometime after you and he'd gone, I arrived myself to explore deeper into the ruins, as well as get myself a Balacruf Symbol."

"How did it go?" asked Marta.

"There was nothing, I couldn't find a way deeper into the mausoleum, and the only Balacruf Symbol left was heavily guarded. It's impossible to get alone."

"Richter said the same thing," added Emil. "He let me climb to the top of the tower, and there were a lot of these monsters in front of a pedestal. He said they were guarding something and…"

"Look, are we just gonna stand here, talking about Richter, or do we actually meet him in Palmacosta?" asked Zelos.

"You're in a rush," Lloyd commented.

"That Hayden guy might get to us before we get out of this place. I don't want Mizuho experiencing the same thing as Flanoir."

Sheena gave a rough punch on his shoulder. "Watch it, Zelos! We don't want any more pressure!"

Marta gently laid her head against Emil's shoulder. "I didn't want to complain, but I want to see Daddy, too. I hadn't been able to talk to him in private for a while."

"Daddy…oh, right." To Jizelle, he said. "I'm sorry; I forgot to tell you that Brute says thanks."

"I'll speak with him after I'm done with Richter," she answered. "Zelos is right, we have to leave. Would you mind if we don't' use the Rheairds for a while? If Hayden finds out that we've been travelling by air, he'd be on the watch."

"If that's the case, then we would have to return them to Yuan," said Lloyd. "But I think that we should do that after we meet Richter, or it'll be a long walk."

"It'll be a good time to start training on the road," said Emil. _And get some more monsters. Maybe we could even get by Asgard and grab the crest with the five of us._

Emil lingered over that word. _Us…_

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**~SKIT: Aging~**

Emil: Jizelle, I forgot to ask…exactly how old are you?

Jizelle: Thirty-two.

Emil: Wh-what? You're almost as old as Regal!

Jizelle: Is that so surprising?

Emil: It's just …you look as young as Raine.

Lloyd: Because elves have such a long lifespan, they have a tendency to physically age slower. Since Jizelle's a purebred, the effect's plainer to see than it is on Raine.

Zelos: Yeah, and it even shows on Sheena here! She's gonna be around twenty-two.

Marta: But Sheena isn't an elf.

Sheena: I got a tiny bit of elven blood in me that go as far as supporting my pacts and seals. No biggie.

Emil: For some reason, though, I can't imagine Jizelle and Regal together, despite the small age gap…

Marta: *gasp* Emil, you're so perceptive! I was thinking the same thing.

Zelos: If you can't imagine her with Regal, imagine her with me, instead!

Lloyd: How did it get to this?

Jizelle: At least they're enjoying themselves.

Lloyd: *hesitant*

Jizelle: *tentative*

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After leaving Marta with Brute, Jizelle released the deadbolt, on Richter's cell, and allowed Emil to enter first. He'd then discovered himself in an entirely different place.

_The pergola in Sybak. The place where he saw his first vision. There were monsters, and Hayden in the lead._

_His confrontation was of course, Jizelle, but there was also…_"Richter!"_ Emil called. Again, he couldn't be heard. Instead of listening to him, he listened to Aster, as he stepped up to Hayden. "Jizelle isn't a wench!"_

_Hayden grabbed Aster by the scruff, and thrust him onto the cement, pinning him down with one foot. It had reminded Emil of how Hayden tackled him in Flanoir, and understood what he meant by 'the same way'._

_Both Jizelle and Richter reacted: Richter pulled out both his sword and axe, while Jizelle drew an arrow and held it in her fist, aiming the head for Hayden's neck._

_Hayden clasped Jizelle's wrist. "Aren't you pretty when you're determined. That must've been the last face she saw when you killed her."_

_Aster grunted from below, while Richer pointed his sword tip at Hayden. "Get your foot off Aster."_

"_I would gladly do it if you hand Jizelle over to me."_

"_No way!" argued Aster. "There's no way you're taking her back."_

_Hayden leaned down, closing the distance between his and Aster's face. "Then you'd be staying where you are for as long as you have to."_

"Emil!"

Blinking once, Emil found Richter's face wavering in front of him. The wooziness seeped into his brain, and brought a hand to his head. "…Sorry, I zoned out."

Richter brushed Emil's hand away, placing his own onto the temple. "Looks like you have a headache. Have you been resting?"

"Well…"

"I suppose it's not a hangover," said Jizelle. "He drank a bit of sake last night."

Richter eyed Jizelle with a glint of humor. "Sake, huh? How much did _you_ drink?"

"Apparently not enough."

Emil was impressed at how casual the situation seemed. "Marta said you didn't get along in front of them, when Jizelle recovered the Sacred Stone."

Jizelle shrugged. "He took my stone. I had a reason." And to Richter, "You should've asked me."

"I was in a hurry," grumbled Richter. "By then, the door could no longer be avoided."

"The door to Niflheim?" asked Emil, and Richter fell silent…"Uh…"

"Emil, why don't you leave us for now?" asked Jizelle. "We'll need some privacy."

He understood the situation, and grabbed the door. "Do you want me to wait somewhere?"

She shook her head. "No. We'll be raising our voices a little. Keep Marta and the Commander company until I arrive."

_Raise their voices…?_ He nodded to them, and closed the door.

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**~SKIT: Troublesome Thoughts~**

Emil: Raise their voices? Wouldn't that mean they'll fight? But they hit it off good when Jizelle and I came in, or maybe they were softening up because I was present? I mean, c'mon, I know them more than anyone…well, except maybe Aster. I guess they're talking about him inside…There was the three of them before Ratatosk killed Aster…and Hayden…he'd done to Aster the same thing he did to me, like he said. And how did Ratatosk end up seeing that? Why would he even bother…?

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Marta's hand over his, Emil spoke with Brute. "Have you met Jizelle before?"

"Richter presented her to me as a potential vizier."

"What did she say?"

"What did you think she'd say?" asked Marta. "If she'd been Daddy's vizier, we would have met her in Altamira."

"So she turned down the offer," Emil said. He returned to the commander, "But why would you let her go? She could've been a threat."

"That was…their business, I believe," answered Brute. "I met her, yes… but the memory was quite hazy. Further, she was Richter's guest."

"Solum must've tried overtaking you by then," said Marta. "Vizier…but she isn't Sylvaranti."

"Neither is Richter," said Brute. "Remember that he used me to manipulate the Vanguard."

A knock came on the door. "Is this a bad time?"

"It's fine, Jizelle," Emil called back, and the door creaked open as Jizelle entered the room.

Brute remarked first, "The hair of a rogue."

"Regrettably, I haven't been much of a rogue," she replied, eyeing Emil and Marta. "I refused your offer to become vizier because I cannot advise you to do violence. Richter, it seemed, had forgotten. That _and_ Hayden."

"Yes, elves are gentle creatures by nature," commented Brute. "There's no denying that you and he still have that similar trait."

Jizelle raised her brows. "Ah, the irony." She turned to Emil and Marta. "Will you stay?"

"There'd be nowhere to go," replied Marta. Jizelle smiled in reply, and continued her reminisce with Brute.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emil caught Lloyd and Jizelle exchanging nerved looks once more as they came down the building. The first time he'd noticed it was in Flanoir. But for how long had they been doing it? What happened that this had become the result?

"How'd it go?" asked Sheena.

"They sent me out, so I wasn't really sure," answered Emil. He turned to Jizelle. "Well?"

She waved her hand at them. "Oh, we raised our voices. Also, I invited him along."

"What?" said Zelos. "We're tagging him along?"

"As a hostage, of course." Emil could imagine her laughing "Ho, ho, ho!" and shook his head, watching her face as she turned back to the stairs. "Ah, here he is."

Emil turned and saw Richter, wearing the clothes he'd always thought were roguish. However, neither his sword nor axe was present. Emil gave him a little smile; he scoffed back.

"It'll be his journey just as it'll be ours," said Jizelle.

"I never asked for company," grumbled Richter.

"Neither did I, but I ended up having some." She turned Emil. "Nor do I detest it."

"Welcome to the group," Marta said to Richter, who nodded back, uncomfortably. She apparently saw this, "Hey, I don't have any hard feelings for you. You tried to save the world in a way what you saw was right. None of us could've stopped that."

"I wished we'd known earlier, though," said Lloyd, "what his true intentions were. Then what'd happened…"

"Should've never happened," finished Zelos. "But anyway, we're here to fix that, right?"

"Right!" answered Emil. He could feel his enthusiasm returning stronger than ever. "Richter, you'll help, right?"

"I'd been given a chance to live despite the crimes I'd done," he told him. "I don't have much of a choice but to go with redeeming myself."

"Now that this is over and done with, how about we go over to the New World Tree?" said Marta.

Jizelle tossed her head, "Perhaps our Chosen can offer a prayer to Martel while we're there?"

"Sure thing," said Zelos. "Hey Lloyd, you better pray with me."

"Think I wont?"

"I want to pray, too," offered Emil. "Maybe…Martel can relay some words to Ratatosk, since it's the World Tree and all…"

"Isn't that a good idea," said Sheena. "Emil, you're getting pretty smart."

He flushed. "…Thank you." He heard Richter sigh behind him. _Though I don't think he'd believe it._

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**~SKIT: Once More~**

Emil: It's great having to travel with you again, Richter.

Richter: It was you, me, Aqua, and Tenebrae then. This was the largest group I've ever been with.

Emil: Aqua…Tenebrae…

Richter: They're fine.

Emil: I know that, but…I really miss them. Do you think they miss us, too?

Richter: Only they can say.

Emil: …Actually, I missed doing this with you, Richter. You were my mentor and everything.

Richter: The fates are cruel as I ended up becoming both your mentor and your enemy.

Emil: Fates…?

Richter: *irritated* Of all people, you should know!

Emil: I-I'm sorry!

Richter: …No, I am. Seems that I couldn't accept fate as it happens. Including Aster's and yours.

Emil: Richter… _I remind him of Aster, too. Seeing me must be really painful for them. And for some reason, it pains me, too. Are we really going to be just fine…?_

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**A/N:** Since the one that began Chapter 7, there had been no skits until this chapter, denoting the seriousness of the scenes, and the fact that we were dealing with an unfamiliar character—Mameha. And tidbit: for such an emotionally distant woman, I conceptualized Jizelle as affectionate with Emil. It's gonna be more of a master-student, mother-son relationship for them, other than anything romantic. That would have been two-timing for Emil, which my constitution forbids, but is still practiced.


	11. Furnace

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Eleven: Furnace**

"Sorry to trouble you again, Yuan," Marta told him. "If someone hadn't been chasing us, we wouldn't have to return these so soon."

"There's no trouble," he answered. He eyed Jizelle. "You must be the lady she spoke of."

"Mameha?"

"No."

She blinked. "Then who..." She exchanged looks with Lloyd, who seemed to comprehend. "Let me speak with Yuan alone. All of you stay here."

"I'll go with you," said Lloyd.

"No." She brought her hand to rub his neck. From the way Lloyd had reacted, it was a soother. "You can't come this time."

"I want to help!"

"And you have." From his neck, Jizelle combed her fingers along his scalp. "You've helped me so much. But don't you think I should start moving by myself?"

Lloyd bit his lip as Jizelle whispered into his ear. Emil then noticed his fist twitch whilst listening. And when Jizelle finished, he turned away, his brows pulled down to his nose.

She gave only a smile before leaving with Yuan.

"Lloyd," Sheena spoke, "Look, how about we just wait here like she said."

In reply, Lloyd sat down, followed by the others. "There's no doubt...the girl that Yuan was talking about..."

"Was it the one Jizelle killed?" asked Marta.

"She didn't kill her!" Lloyd brought a shaking hand to his forehead.

"Bud, don't get so worked up about it," Zelos patted his shoulder immediately after the outburst, delaying all other alarm. "There should be a good reason for not telling us, though."

"She confided in both Colette and me. We swore to her by oath not to tell anyone else. And she'd just freed me from that oath."

Emil dragged his knees towards his chest. "...So, what did she tell you?"

Lloyd exchanged looks with him for a moment before answering, "Jizelle...never murdered that girl."

"I knew she'd never do it," said Sheena. "Believe me or not, I don't think she can even bring herself up to kill anybody."

"Exactly," said Lloyd. "Jizelle, in truth, has only half a heart and soul. That was the limitation that I was talking about in Flanoir-she lacks the ability to grieve."

"...She couldn't cry even if she wanted to," Sheena translated. "Man, that's tough."

"Where's the rest of her now?" asked Zelos.

"With that girl. She only needed the least bit of life to go a place where she'd been chosen to guard. She gave to Jizelle her body and half of her soul and emotions so she could live." He locked eyes with Emil again. "...You and she are the same: fabrications of an original brought to life."

At that moment, Emil felt himself go numb. Without the strength to support his knees, they fell onto the moss. "...No way."

Marta brushed her hand along his arm. "Emil..."

"So that girl created Jizelle-wait, what was her name, anyway?" said Zelos.

Lloyd shook his head. "She couldn't remember. Nor could Hayden or anyone else."

Emil could see Jizelle in the distance. She was standing beside the tree, talking with Yuan. Her eyes drifted often between him and the tree. "Has Jizelle been able to contact her since then?"

Marta shook her head. "She kept silent about it the whole time. And she turned pale when Yuan said it wasn't Mameha."

Emil then saw Jizelle turn to him, with the knowledge that he'd known of their similar origins. She gave a little smile, and motioned all of them to approach her. All rose, and did so.

"Why don't you begin praying?" she told them, and pulled Emil and Marta out of the crowd, and squatted to their level. "I will have you receive Ratatosk's blessing. But you will have to confront him. Can you do that?"

Emil instinctively crossed his arms in a slight manner, palms touching his elbows. Nervousness edged across his form, denying itself as fear. "I don't really know..."

"Come on, Emil!" urged Marta, "I won't let him hurt you, even if we are to receive his power. Didn't we make that promise?"

He nodded to her, "Yes. But it doesn't change the truth that I shamed him. I don't know how he could take that."

Jizelle placed a rather clammy hand on his shoulder. "The Centurions will be with him, and so will I. He's reckless, but even he wouldn't oppose those he respects."

"Respects?" repeated Marta.

"Ratatosk respected me, though he never knew of my missing half. We'd argue over trivial things, yes, but I would always end up accompanying him despite his own attitude. We were so accustomed to each other that it was so easy to realize that we'd been very close friends. But something just comes and denies it."

"Sounds romantic," sighed Marta. "Emil, don't you think it's romantic?"

He shrugged. "It's more irritating than romantic, I guess."

"Hmph. You're beginning to sound like Ratatosk yourself." Jizelle rose, and went behind them, still maintaining her grip on Emil, and reaching to touch Marta. "Close your eyes."

Emil did so, and met the darkness. In moments, Jizelle and Marta materialized before him. "Huh?"

"From the World Tree, roots stretch to all places containing life. Remember that some of these roots were attached to the paths between this world and the Ginunggagap."

"We had to burn some of them first time we entered, right?" said Emil. "Marta nodded.

"From here, we can follow the roots to the Ginunggagap." At the mention of those words, the tree appeared before them, along with a set of roots leading one to one direction past them and deeper into the chasm. "That's our way."

"Do we have to walk it?" asked Marta.

"I'll drag you along," answered Jizelle. "We have no bodies with us. Mana is only able to take our physical forms, which is why most are mistaken. We'll be able to follow the mana channel from these roots once we touch them."

"Incredible," muttered Emil.

"We make haste." Jizelle tightened her grip on both Emil and Marta before allowing her bare sole touch against the root. Emil then felt a strong pull where Jizelle's arm is, and the darkness around them faded into swirls of colors.

"The mana channel..." His voice sounded awfully distant, as if he stood on a cliff instead of swimming in mana. He could neither feel his hands nor legs nor any bangs brushing across his face. Only color rushed past his eyes, and he heard only his thoughts...

_She's hurt..._

It wasn't a thought. It was a voice. "...Marta is that you?"

_She's very hurt..._

Not Marta. "Who's hurt?"

_One for another, yet I leave her to suffer. How selfish of me! Selfish!_

She had no regret whatsoever in her tone, nor any trace of pain..."Left to suffer..." Could she have meant-

_None of them must know of her...none! They must never find out! I will never allow it!_

"Are you Jizelle's other self?!" Emil shouted.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Emil realized then that his eyes had been shut all the while as he listened to the female voice. Opening them, he saw Ratatosk himself scoffing down at him. He winced. It was very uncomfortable seeing his own face giving him a look he could not imitate.

"Really, I can't believe how pathetic you could be," said Ratatosk. Then he looked away. "I'd expected more from my other self."

Emil stared. _Expected...from me?_ He rose, saying, "I'm doing my best!"

Ratatosk side-glanced at Emil coolly as he continued. "I've been trying my best the whole time. To protect Marta and everyone else. You're my other self, too; of course I'd be asking you for help!"

"You let me do your dirty work for you!" Ratatosk argued back. "You knew how to fight, and still I did your battles, and you watched from the sidelines. You were nowhere _near_ protecting Marta!"

Emil turned away. It wasn't his mindset, but Ratatosk was right. A wave of humiliation swept over him, and he regretted having started a fight.

Wait a minute..._started_?

He returned to find Ratatosk...almost _smirking_ at him. Then came a clapping sound that echoed across darkness once more.

"Splendid performance, Emil," said Jizelle, as she aligned herself beside him. Marta then appeared on the other side. "How does facing this halfwit make you feel?" Ratatosk then glowered at her.

"Must that always be your term for Lord Ratatosk, Lady Jizelle?"

Emil's thoughts rushed so fast that he couldn't prevent himself from saying "Tenebrae!"

The Centurion then appeared floating beside Ratatosk. "I prefer, Emil that you answer Lady Jizelle's question first before greeting an old friend."

Marta placed one arm akimbo. "Speaking of old..."

Tenebrae sighed, "Yes, yes, the old fogey concept."

"Well, Emil?" asked Jizelle.

"But he was right," he answered. "What he said was right, Jizelle. How could I fight against that?"

"You ask me for help," she gave a simple answer, and turned to Ratatosk, who'd kept his cold gaze upon her. "Tenebrae, didn't Emil fight his own battles on your way home?"

"Apparently, Lady Jizelle," answered Tenebrae.

"And Marta, had Emil protected you then?"

Marta hooked an arm around Emil's arm. "Of course he did, and I love him for it,"

Jizelle raised an eyebrow. Then she spoke it what seemed to be a lawful tone. "That spoken, added my personal witness to Emil Castagnier's battle performance as his secondary teacher, I can declare that Ratatosk's statement has been revoked. Thus ends this episode in court."

Emil couldn't help it; he burst out laughing. Later following were Marta, and even Tenebrae. "Most impressive, Lady Jizelle!" he rasped in between chortles.

"You-you could pass off as an attorney!" Marta managed to say, rather loudly.

Emil, however, stopped laughing at Ratatosk's outburst. "No!"

Marta stopped as well. "No what? We can't have your blessing?"

Ratatosk disregarded her. "I'm _not_ letting you!" he told Jizelle.

"My blood is worth more than hundreds of others in this world!" retorted Jizelle. "Or would you rather sacrifice them instead?"

"One life is one life, and nobody is making any sacrifices!"

"Then you're risking the current state of the world for the sake of protecting Niflheim."

"I heard you the first time."

"Oh really? Where's the result of that?"

"Here I am, telling you I can do this on my own!" Ratatsosk's voice had gone dangerously loud, but hadn't lost any of this pitch. Not even Emil has witnessed this degree of anger from him. "I can do this with the Centurions alone! I don't need your help-"

Another clap echoed across the darkness. Although this time, it wasn't hand against hand. Jizelle's contact had made contract-quite a strong one-with Ratatosk's cheek.

From the corner of his eye, Emil could glimpse Marta incasing one of her palms in another. Had she done the same thing to him before?

"You have so many assurances for me, but when I do the same, you have nothing to offer." Jizelle had, in turn, a low growl in her voice. The same one as when she'd first find out of Aster's true murder. That was connected with Ratatosk, too. Just to what extent did her anger for him reach now, despite what she said about them being close friends?

And then he remembered what he'd heard during his flight through the mana channel, and found himself saying it.

"...She's hurt."

All eyes turned to him, and he repeated, "Jizelle...she's hurt. Very hurt. It's what I heard."

Jizelle lowered her hand. "Heard from whom?"

He gulped. "I think it was her."

"Who?"

"I...I think you know."

"You _listened_ to her?"

Emil nodded. He wanted this to be over soon; it's as if they wanted to scare him to no end. "I was able to hear some of her thoughts somehow...but those I said were all I could remember."

Jizelle approached Emil with a fatal stalk, and for a moment, he thought she would manhandle him, as Richter had before.

Instead of that, he felt her fingers run across his scalp, urging his body to relax, as she did with Lloyd. Regret washed him. It's been a long, confirmed subject, but due to Ratatosk's objections had to be brought up and reanalyzed: would he really let her shed blood after all that she's been through?

They locked eyes, and Emil once again braved himself, "I don't want to get you anymore hurt. I want to call off the sacrifice. And I'm sorry I didn't take your feelings into consideration."

"Emil..." Marta took hold of his hand. She turned to Jizelle. "He's right. We've been selfish."

_Selfish..._it rang a bell in Emil's mind. Where'd he hear it before?

Jizelle took Marta's other hand. "No. I want to go through with it. At any rate, I want to make use of the heart I had been given."

Behind them, Ratatosk's face twitched. "...What?"

Jizelle turned back to him, scowling. "Emil and I are both fabrications. The boy continued to make imposing progress into becoming a whole person in himself. I, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky."

"What do you mean?" asked Ratatosk.

Emil could see Jizelle raise an eyebrow at Ratatosk. She'd gone dead cold at him. "The person whom I was born from is in another place. It didn't require a body, so it was offered to me. But I have only half a heart and soul."

And from Ratatosk, Emil could see that his body had gone limp, his arms visibly dangling blankly.

"I do not have the ability to express pain to a certain extent. The reason why I could never be seen angry or weeping or shouting. I remembered that you were _praising_ me for that."

"If you'd only told me-"

"There was no opening," Jizelle cut off, crossing her arms. "You never failed to center yourself on everything. How could I possibly..." her voiced faded away, and her lips shut.

Ratatosk spread his arms. "What, you couldn't tell them?"

"_You_ tell them, then," she readily answered.

Emil exchanged looks with Marta, who turned to Tenebrae, who, in turn, cleared his throat, "I'm afraid your argument has placed Emil and Lady Marta in troubled states."

Jizelle heaved a sigh. "Just get it done, Tenebrae."

She turned away from them as Tenebrae had offered both Emil and Marta Ratatosk's power. It was a strange feeling, like something had overwhelmed his body, and that his stamina had maxed out. There also came that sensation of strength that he'd been accustomed to during the past journey.

When it was over, Marta touched Emil's arm. "It's...tougher." He flushed, when he heard Ratatosk's voice again,

"Talk to me."

He turned to see Ratatosk standing behind Jizelle, with a hand halfway towards her. "Talk. Please."

Emil blinked. No, he could not believe what he was seeing. "What is Ratatosk..._doing_?"

Tenebrae landed softly on the floor which could not be seen. "Lord Ratatosk is trying to conciliate Lady Jizelle. It happens quite occasionally, though never this grave."

"Why doesn't Ratatosk ever do that to us?" asked Marta.

"He has never cared as much for anyone's well-being than other Lady Jizelle's. It's expected from two who've accompanied each other for years."

"Then they really are close," said Emil.

Tenebrae approached him, "Emil, if I may ask...what have you been feeling for Lady Jizelle?"

"What?" How could Tenebrae bring up such an awkward subject? "Well...she's like a mother to us...a strange one, but she still feels like a mom to me. A teacher, too."

"Do you harbor any special longing for her?"

"Special longing?"

Marta leaned over the Centurion. "Wait a second, Tenebrae. Just where are you leading us with those questions?"

He turned to Marta calmly, "I'm merely wondering if Emil had subconsciously attained any of Lord Ratatosk's emotions. Indeed, his form and memories are his own, but there may be some of Lord Ratatosk's emotions that have been embedded in him."

"So what are you saying about Ratatosk's emotions if I do have them?" asked Emil.

"Again, they'd accompanied each other for years; Lord Ratatosk then develops this impulse to see Lady Jizelle again at their next meeting. It's nowhere near love, though we were worried on how it might influence _you_."

"You thought I'd fall in love with Jizelle?" asked Emil. "But...I already love Marta. Those are my feelings. How could Ratatosk's override that?"

"Simply checking," Tenebrae shook off the subject.

"How can you prove that Ratatosk doesn't feel any love for Jizelle, then?" asked Marta.

Tenebrae slowly lifted off the ground. "Jizelle loved another. Her other self. If the theory is correct, her half-heart is not even enough to love a man."


	12. Maces and Mirrors

For the convenience of all who wish to be concerned, I have been able to upload a drawing of Jizelle. You can find the link in my profile.

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twelve: Maces and Mirrors**

Emil found himself standing amongst a crowd. His ears caught the sound of gasping, and turned to see a hooded girl, crying. "What's wrong?" Emil asked.

"Watch," a voice muttered beside him. He yelped, and none around them had reacted. The voice repeated, "Watch with them."

_That voice…it's hers…the one from the mana channel. _"Are you…"

Emil followed the gazes of the crowd, and found a raised platform with beautifully gowned woman on standing on it. Her wrists were chained together, and between them was a guillotine.

The weeping girl choked on her breath, and Emil instinctively held her hand. She did not react. He eyed her face, and then scrutinized the condemned woman again. "Twins."

"Yes," came that voice. "He told her to switch clothing and become a fugitive."

"He…?" The blade was lifted, and the woman stretched her neck across the wood beneath it. "You mean…"

"He was only trying to protect the person he loves," she said. "It doesn't matter to him that she'd committed a great sin. What he is doing is an extraordinary act of love. However, those who are being protected are the ones who never seem to understand immediately."

"Jizelle…"

"Yes. I paid her life with mine. That boy and I are the same. So is Jizelle and this girl."

Emil then stared once more at the girl. Her other hand was trembling over her mouth, and tears were streaming uncontrollably down her face.

Returning to the platform, he saw the woman—the man—look down upon them; upon his sister. And he smiled, muttering his last words for none but himself to hear.

The blade was released.

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Emil shut his eyes after, reopening them to find himself staring at a ceiling. He brushed his fingers along his face: it was moist, and his eyes stung. _I…cried…?_ He laid a hand over his eye. _A dream…_

The last he'd heard was Tenebrae saying that Jizelle couldn't love a man with a half heart. _Jizelle…!_

From a lying position, he sat up abruptly, meeting Richter standing in front of him. "You okay?"

"Richter, Jizelle is—"

"Easy, she's fine." Richter sat down on. Emil looked around. A room. "We've been lent a room here in Iselia," he explained, wiping Emil's face. "Had a nightmare?"

"It wasn't really…" Emil paused, attempting to remember. He never saw the head roll off, nor could he recall letting go of his sister's hand. Other than that, nothing. He'd never listened so carefully to her words. "…I spoke with her, Richter…I spoke with Jizelle's…other self."

"Jizelle said as much," answered Richter. "You were the easiest to contact, she said, but she hasn't figured out why."

"Where's she? And Marta and the others?"

"They're all in another room. Apparently, you've regrouped."

"Even Colette?" said Emil. "But Hayden—he could track us down!"

"Don't you think you're more important than that person?"

Emil gulped. "More important…"

"Protecting you is more important than avoiding him. That's what Jizelle thinks."

During the silence that followed, Emil hugged his knees. _If it were true,_ he thought, _then what Tenebrae said could be…_"Richter, has Jizelle ever…loved a man?"

"Hnn?" Richter turned to him. "Why'd you ask?"

"I spoke with Ratatosk and Tenebrae at the tree. Tenebrae said that Jizelle's half-heart isn't sufficient to love a man."

Then Richter's stare grew very distant. "Is that so…?"

Emil feared that he struck him. "Did I say something…"

"No. Actually, you'd shed some light on it."

"You mean you didn't know that Jizelle had half a heart?"

"I knew, but I never questioned its limits." His gaze returned fierce at Emil. "Do you think someone with half a heart and soul would be as venturesome and single-minded as Jizelle is now?"

Emil shook his head upon instinct. "No…"

Richter smirked. "Then there is still hope." He rose. "If I'm right, the heart she'd already been given had begun creating a new half for Jizelle to use. Emil, remember your resurrection. It's already been explained to you, right?"

Emil tried to recall. _What Marta said in front of Sybak University…_ "When a body separates from its soul, the heart—" he took into accord the next words, uttering them slowly, "—breaks into fragments…and resides in the hearts of others."

He ran through the words again, quite sure that those were what Marta had said. But how was it related to the current situation…?

"Fragments of a heart reside in other hearts," said Richter. "Half the soul was separated, half the heart was scattered, and the body remains intact. That could only mean that Jizelle is half-alive."

"I thought you were going to say 'half-dead.' "

Richter scoffed. "And discourage you? You're such an ingrate." He turned away. "Can you stand?"

Emil responded by getting off the bed. "What are you thinking, Richter?"

He could see Richter rearrange his glasses. "…Don't think you know everything about Jizelle, nor should you think she'd tell you all of her secrets so easily."

"Why…?"

"She had…deliberately left out telling you how much blood must be offered to the door sealing Niflheim."

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"Without the preservative, the bloody corpse itself must be sacrificed to Niflheim," said Raine. She then shook her head, "No preservative."

"But Brute said she'd be okay as long as she had stamina," protested Emil. He tried to harden his gaze at Jizelle for not mentioning anything, but her sympathetic face wouldn't allow him. A lump formed in his throat— "You can't," he rasped, "you can't die!"

"Brute had to say _something_," said Loyd. "He couldn't tell you the truth because he already knew how attached you'd grown to her."

"So he's gonna lie to make me feel better?" said Emil before clenching his fists. His chest began to tighten, and his head ache. "I've been following a false hope…is that what you're saying?"

Marta brushed her fingers along his arms. "Emil, it's not like that at all. Daddy could've never done it with that purpose."

He locked eyes with Marta, and a tinge of guilt ran through him. _I was blaming her father…Marta's…father…_"I…"

"We're very sorry, Emil," came Colette. Emil glanced at the other party: Raine, Genis, Colette, Regal, Presea. "Lloyd and I knew, but Jizelle made us swear not to tell anyone else."

"What happened at the tree?"

"It appeared Hayden had led an ambush," answered Regal. "And he made quite sure to take you down first."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Whoever had been, we'd already healed," said Sheena.

"Anyway, Jizelle said to wait for you before she leaves," Genis spoke hurriedly.

"Leave?" repeated Emil. He turned to Jizelle, who had an unwavering gaze. "At this time? How can you?"

"I had Ratatosk give your blessing," she said, no tone implied. "You can take care of yourself very well from here on. It's too dangerous to risk your life again."

"What are you going to do?" asked Lloyd.

Jizelle pursed her lips momentarily before answering, "Give Hayden what he wants."

"He wants you _dead_!" exclaimed Zelos.

Jizelle raised a brow at him. "…Exactly."

Next to him, Emil could feel Richter tense. _Throw her life away…?! She couldn't do that! She wouldn't!_ "You can't!"

"It resolves," said Jizelle. "Hayden is satisfied, and he can dispose of my corpse by setting it before the door to Niflheim. For added effects, I'll have the Sacred Stone put there as well."

"You mean you're just going to let him kill you?" asked Genis.

"What about the time you'd spent trying to avoid him?" said Marta. "What was all _that_ about?"

Jizelle's expression then pained. At least, as far as her emotions could allow her to look. "…I was afraid. He didn't know the truth. All this time, he blamed me for her death and turned Heimdall against me. I believed that running away would give me some time to wonder about facing him."

"Instead, I felt something trying to eat through me, and his sword draw closer." She paused to close her eyes. "I avoided Sylvarant after the worlds had merged to prevent him from doing the same thing he did to the Tethe'allan cities. If Hayden arrives, Iselia would never…"

"We understand how you feel," said Regal, "but if you could only rethink your actions—if you sacrifice yourself to Hayden, there will be no body for the other person to return to."

Jizelle then covered one shut eye with her hand, opening the other. "We thought as much from the beginning. She will manage it." She aimed her eyes at Richter, whom Emil felt tense even more, his fist trembling.

"Tch," Richter looked away. "You're as half-hearted as you claim to be."

She kept silent, and when nothing more was added, she left the room. Then something began swelling in Emil. It could have easily been his throat, or something else.

_It's nowhere near love, though we were worried on how it might influence _you.

_Impossible,_ he thought. _I couldn't be…in love with Jizelle…! I can't be!_

His suffocating chest confirmed the truth. He pressed his wrist against it, doubled, and fell, shoulders rounded, and his other arm bracing against the floor.

Marta followed, "Emil, what's wrong?"

"Marta…" he began, whispering. "Marta, you love me, right?"

Marta wrapped her arms around him. "I always have."

"And you know…I love you too, right?"

"Of course."

"Then…what is this _feeling_…? It's as if…" He shut his eyes, and opening them again, he saw…

_Jizelle's form swathed in darkness. And he spoke in Ratatosk's voice, "I'm not risking anyone's life. Yours more than anyone else."_

_"If this is about Aster, then I know just how cold blooded you really are," said Jizelle._

_"What…?"_

_"Aster…promised that he'd return to me after resolving the case with you." Jizelle crossed her arms, and avoided his gaze. "Richter met me, and…he gave me the ring Aster could have proposed with."_

_The same pain filled Emil again, and he realized that it truly had been Ratatosk's feelings. Tenebrae had lied. _Ratatosk…loved Jizelle, after all…_he wasn't sure of what he felt about the situation, but it was still…tragic._

_"I kept rejecting him, telling him that I couldn't love him back, but he wouldn't hear any of it." Jizelle covered her full face with her palms. "And when he found out I had an incomplete heart," she murmured in a straighter tone, "Richter told me that Aster would say in his proposal to be that missing half."_

_In response, Ratatosk's body trembled, his mind imagining the scene. Emil couldn't tell if he was furious or regretful._

_"There was nothing wrong with what he said." Jizelle removed her face from her hands, flashing Ratatosk and Emil a stern look. "You just happened to kill him before anything else. Were you really willing to go that far to claim me for yourself?"_

_"Dammit, I didn't know!"_

_"You know you killed him when you shouldn't have!"_

_Tenebrae slowly floated towards them. "My sincerest apologies for interrupting, but you're being ambushed. Your bodies have all been taken away safely. Lady Jizelle, I strongly urge you to return before they go too far."_

_Jizelle then rushed away, picking up the sleeping forms of Marta, and Emil himself. _We've been put to sleep?

_Turning back to Ratatosk, "Richter was right. You truly are a demon lord. All the more reason to give the responsibility of Niflheim to me!"_

_"You're not the one to decide! Half-heart!"_

_"Halfwit!"_

Richter's awfully strong clap against Emil's back had returned him. "Ratatosk and Aster loved Jizelle!" he exclaimed.

"Eh?" asked Genis.

"Ratatosk and Aster," Emil said more slowly, "they both loved Jizelle."

"Where did you learn that?" Lloyd asked.

"Ever since I came back, I've been seeing some things in Ratatosk's perspective. It was from that time when we crossed the mana channel to get to the Ginnungagap. Marta and I've been put to sleep so we wouldn't hear. Ratatosk and Jizelle were talking about it when Hayden arrived, and she had to take us back." He turned to Richter. "You gave her Aster's ring."

Richter's face stiffened, and he drew his hands back into fists. "Yeah, I gave her the ring."

"You mean Aster was going to propose to her?" said Marta. "That's…so…sad."

Raine cleared her throat. "That further proves my speculation. As we've been discussing, the trauma that Jizelle experiences may have a graver effect on her now more than ever, considering that she'd brought up such a sensitive case."

"It may have been the reason for her rash thinking," said Presea. "It's a common process—what's been denied will be gained through extreme means."

"But what _will_ she gain out of sacrificing herself?" asked Colette.

"Possibly redemption," said Regal, "on behalf of the lives she had risked, along with the assurance that Hayden will no longer bring unnecessary harm."

Emil was then left to wander. _Do I really harbor Ratatosk's feelings for Jizelle? Am I even sure if they are Ratatosk's? What if I'd fallen in love on my own? And how could I still love Marta at the same time?_

"Don't let it worry you too much," Zelos patted his shoulder. "'Cause Ratatosk's feelings are stronger than yours, sure you'd feel them. After all, you used to be the same person."

Emil finally smiled. "Thanks, Zelos. That makes me feel a lot better."

Then he felt another hand rub against his head. He turned to Richter, "You're so much like Jizelle."

"Why is that?"

"She's planning to share your fate."

Emil bit his lip. "I'll go talk to her before she leaves. We have to let her know something first."

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Emil found her a fair distance outside Iselia, resting against a tree trunk. Jizelle turned her head slowly to face him, and kept her peace. She did not speak. He noticed something that he hadn't recalled on seeing before: a red gash along her neck. It was red, but not bleeding.

For a minute, he hesitated to begin, but recovered with the phrase Richter had passed on to him from Aster: _Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality. Here we go…_

"On behalf of everyone," he began, "I want you to realize say if that we love you, no matter what you think of us or of yourself. We may be stubborn and selfish, and we cannot criticize you because we'd act in the same manner if we were in your situation."

He knelt before her and took her hand, as advised by Regal and Zelos. Still, she did not react. "But please—we would still want to help you. All of us do. We'll not go against your decision. It's just…"

He paused. Yes, this was advisory, but who was he fooling? He was offering his genuine feelings, not flattery.

And, as he'd been wanting to for the longest time, Emil flew himself into Jizelle's arms, burying his head against her neck, disregarding her open wound.

"I love you, Jizelle," he breathed, "but not the way Aster and Ratatosk do. Even so, you're still a special person. You saved my life, taught me so many, and remained by my side. You've protected and cared for all of us—"

"I bore witness to that all," Jizelle interrupted. "No need to recount." She grasped his shoulders and forced him away from her bosom, locking eyes with him. "With as much heart as I have, I loved you, too. Each one of you."

With that, she pressed her lips close to his; Emil only felt the corners touching. And then he remembered the dream.

"She'd shown me a person who died in place of another person," he told me. "She said that it was an extraordinary act of love that couldn't be understood by a different person. She said you were like the latter person…but I think you're the former person, too."

She raised one cheek in a smirk. "What would that mean?"

"You were going to protect us in your own way, weren't you?" She blinked. He blinked back. "…Was I…wrong?"

She shook her head. "No…it wasn't wrong. If I can satisfy Hayden, the world—Tethe'alla—would be rid of at least one threat."

Emil then rested on against the tree beside her, and brought up something that now seemed trivial. "You ended up being loved by two people. Was that what you mean about Ratatosk 'expecting so much' of you?"

"Practically. He was a beast, that's worth admitting. However, I've told you before: regardless of how far he'd wandered, he'll always come back. He's almost fully regretful of Aster's murder."

"Would you ever return his feelings?"

"He might've never had such feelings if he hadn't killed Aster. The emotions may have passed along with the body. Although…" the breeze rustled the leaves of trees behind them. "I believed he had more of a chance than anyone, despite whether I'd been loved by someone else or not. He's just a halfwit not to recognize it."

Emil laughed at this, while Jizelle giggled. One that could have rendered her innocent.

To which Emil had grasped the fact that she truly was innocent. From the start. Though neither Hayden nor Ratatosk see it. Those who could've proved were himself, their company, Richter…

And that girl in another place.

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**A/N:** The first scene was inspired by this terribly wonderful PV of…you guessed it, Aku no Meshitsukai! Wahahahahahaha xD I love love love love love the song, and I looooooooooooove Vocaloid! *ahem* So now, the truth comes out. Aster and Ratatosk love Jizelle, and she's following Emil's fate to sacrifice herself. And no, they don't plan to stop her. This cast is as crazy as she is. Oy.


	13. The Mountain of Swamps, and the Isl

**A/N:** This chapter is overdue by a long shot, I know. Check out my LiveJournal to see my reasons for lagging. Link's in my profile.

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Thirteen: The Mountain of Swamps, and the Isle of Rivers**

Emil succeeded in creating a trapping the lamia with a spell circle. Though this time, it wasn't themed as darkness in accordance to Tenebrae's favor.

Instead, there were electric blue lines etched onto the ground that very much tempted to blind him.

"Concentrate!" Jizelle's voice rang clear through the lights. He glanced at her. For some reason, her eyes were greatly illuminated. A feature he'd overlooked on the garuda.

Nodding at Jizelle, Emil stretched out one arm, curling his fingers only the slightest, and attempted to forge a pact with the lamia. He ignored the flash of the lights, and fixed his eyes against the lamia. _Steady_, he told himself, _almost there…_

_She could have been a proud mother._

"Huh?" That sudden thought had popped into his head. He was certain he couldn't have thought that.

_But she was killed for bearing the wrong child._

He caught the voice—a female. The same one from his dream.

_But her child had been selected to continue his father's legacy, all the same._ A giggle. _How ironic._

Upon those words, Emil then grew unsure of Jizelle's other self. Was she helping them _save_ Jizelle or helping them _see_ the guilt that they are placing upon themselves by sacrificing her?

He felt his control slipping away, and biting his lip, he struggled to regain it. How could Jizelle's choice place any guilt upon them? Wasn't just the same as his situation? None of his friends were guilty of his suicide, weren't they?

_But then_, he managed to think for himself, _what motivated them to bring me back…?_

"Excellent." The circle vanished, and the lamia slithered to Emil's side. "You've made a successful pact."

He managed to smile in spite of things. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"And soon, you wouldn't have to." Jizelle ran her fingers along Emil's left cheek. "You have sure potential, though it's not because you're part of Ratatosk."

He could imagine Ratatosk's name pierce through them, though it had never been felt. "Then…why?"

"Because you'd place high bets for the sake of fulfilling your dreams. It's something Ratatosk had been avoiding…up till now."

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To everyone's relief, Lloyd had successfully convinced Jizelle to remain and 'not rush things'. It had been clever to have used Emil's experience and 'see the world' before she executed any plans for herself.

Emil now stood before the beach in Altamira, wearing only rental swimming trunks. _The first complaint was that Altamira was colder…now it's warmer…"_The weather's good for business, isn't it, Regal?"

"Indeed. The company has quite a number of visitors registered," said Regal beside him. "Why don't you go enjoy with the others while we're here? We can't stay for long."

"Right. Hayden will be chasing us; who knows when he'll catch up." He waved at Marta, who splashed water against Genis, who jabbed his elbow against Lloyd, who grabbed him by the scalp.

Jizelle stood nearby, whom he'd seen wear casual clothes for the first time. She wore a thick shirt and shorts, exposing ghost-pale legs. She smirked, "I'm nowhere near accustomed to this."

"We are more engrossed by your quick adaptation," said Raine, who'd also stripped to lighter garments. "Do you swim?"

"Well enough," she replied. "I don't like seawater very much, nor too much sunlight."

Emil approached her. "Was it a bad idea to take you here, then?"

She shook her head. "Hadn't Raine just said? Quick adaptation."

He beamed at her, grabbed her wrist, and led her towards the wet sand. Upon touching the water, Emil felt a shiver cross him, and shuddered. "It's kind of cold."

Jizelle was silent.

"…Sorry."

"For what?"

Emil blinked. "You can't feel heat or cold, right? Does that include…body heat?"

She raised a brow. "…Yes."

"Then you couldn't feel _anything_…at all?"

She shook her head promptly.

Emil then began stammering, "Th-then, how do you g-get by…"

"Mana again." Jizelle squatted onto the sticky sand, spreading her legs towards the deeper waters. "It heightens when I come into contact with anything, so I would be able to control my body to this point."

In answer, Emil bent down, curled his fingers in the water, and splashed towards Jizelle. "How much of it did you feel?"

She laid a palm upon her face, wiping off the droplets that had landed on her. As if it were a warning, she jerked one leg, showering Emil. He blinked off the droplets, sputtering, and she smiled.

He felt warmth along his arm. "Marta."

"C'mon!" she urged him further into the sea, until they were knee-deep. And when her face was out of view from all but Emil's she grew solemn.

"What's wrong?"

"I feel really sick to my stomach," said Marta. "I can't stand having fun like this with Hayden tracking after us. I don't know how much more I can take."

Emil understood, and gripped her shoulders. "I understand Marta, really. I want to save her, too, and we owe her so much. But…" his voice trailed off as his throat tightened, "…if we can let her enjoy her last moments like this, don't you think we're doing her a favor? The least we can do for her is let her die without regrets."

Marta then exchanged a pained look with him. "Let her die? Emil, how could you even _say_ something like that? We can't let Jizelle die; you said it first!"

"We can't do anything right now," said Emil, "but Richter and Ratatosk can."

She raised a brow at him, "Richter…and Ratatosk?" They glanced together at Richter, who was still onshore, his feet nowhere near the tide or sun. Instead, he leaned against the wall that also served as the balustrade of the steps down the city to the beach, shaded under an umbrella.

Emil dragged his palms down her bare, wet shoulders to her fingers. "Marta, I might be forcing this on you, but could you bear with it for some more time?"

She didn't hesitate to answer— "Okay. As long as you're with me, I'll be able to bear it. I promise."

Emil couldn't help pecking her cheek afterward. And she smiled back. The warmest he'd seen on her face since he'd come back.

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"Altamira's the closest location to the Otherworldly Gate," Richter reminded Emil after the swim. "I will go to the Ginnungagap tonight, and will have Ratatosk collaborate with us."

"You know what happened to Aster when you first tried that," said Emil. "What if he kills _you_ next?"

"Jizelle's a different story. If he refuses to have her sacrifice herself, then he can't deny my request. Not this time."

Emil reached his over his crossed legs, sitting on the bed. "You're pretty confident about this."

"Again, I won't have him reject me this time." Richter leaned against one of the bed's posts. "Believe me when I say he still hasn't grown up as I tackled him several times." He turned to Emil. "I can openly admit that you have a wider mindset as well, comparable that of Lloyd Irving."

Emil blushed. "Thank you."

"Hmph. You don't have to feel uncomfortable when I talk about Lloyd. He's wants to act for Jizelle's cause as much as we do. After I recruit Ratatosk, it'll be me and him on one end and you and Lloyd on the other. And when the time comes, and you will meet with us—"

"The ends close together," Emil finished. "And we could have Jizelle think over what she's doing."

"Without giving her a false impression," added Richter. "She isn't easy to fool, nor is easy to convince. We'll have to be very honest."

_Richter and honest?_ "What are you going to say, then?" Emil asked.

Richter smirked. "No need to rush on that. You'll hear it at the Ginnungagap."

He nodded, and glanced nervously at the bedclothes. "What about Hayden…and _her_?"

"Another reason why I decided to leave you with Lloyd: he'll take care of Hayden, and you'll handle her."

"But what are we going to _do_?"

"Entertain them. Listen to what they have to say. Don't let them rush to things."

"Or else?"

"Or else they'll make a wider opening than we're meant to close; the more likely Jizelle could escape."

Emil bit her lip. Staying put and stalling, he now realized, was much harder that moving from town to city, between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. It was Jizelle's decision, and she was afraid of stopping.

And show she was breaking through a dead end. A miracle, but then again, wasn't _he_ himself her miracle? She bore him out of…

…nothing?

Emil's eyes widened at the thought. "Impossible," he said aloud, catching Richter's attention. "Jizelle brought me back, but she had to use something, right? Materials?"

"Her travels brought her to obtaining very common to very rare pieces and artifacts. Where she stores all of them, I don't know."

Emil then remembered the sack Jizelle was hauling as he envisioned in Mizuho? _The crown and scepter…where did she keep them?_

"I don't mean those," Emil continued, "The method Jizelle used on me…it required memories—extracting fragments of my heart for me to become whole again. But what about the memories of _still living_ people? Don't they become fragments of a heart, too?"

Richter blinked twice before launching his back off the wall. "…Sybak wrote down that hypothesis thirty years ago. But there was no willing elf who would conduct the procedures from them."

"You're half elf, and so are Genis. Does that amount to anything near elf?"

"Half elves were still looked down upon then. It hasn't been tested." He laid a palm on the bed, leaning towards Emil. "I'll be separated from you, so we'll leave it to the Sages to do their best."

"I'll find out if we can help in any way, too," said Emil.

"They're wouldn't be time for all of you to return to Sybak and get the research," opposed Richter. "You'll have to split again, and have the others look up in Sybak. Whether good or bad happens, we'll need that information."

"I understand, Richter."

"Emil, saving Jizelle now is a big help to saving the world later," said Richter. "Remember that."

He blinked, and repeated the words in his head. "What was that…supposed to be?"

Richter bowed his head. "It ended up like that; don't complain."

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**~SKIT: Once More. Yet Again~**

Emil: Richter, I've been wondering…Brute told me that you recommended Jizelle as his vizier.

Richter: Yes, that's true.

Emil: But…why?

Richter: Why not? She was the wisest on human relations that I've known. Brute would then have a much stronger on people if she accepted.

Emil: But she didn't. She couldn't advise violence.

Richter: Furthermore, she couldn't trust me. I wanted to tell her Aster's death, but that would hinder my plans. She's a very strong opponent on that field.

Emil: Did you ever regret choosing her or not taking her in.

Richter: Unlike Aster, who was ideal, and me, who doubted, Jizelle was the one who took both accounts and rationalized from them. She would have been a significant ally of the Vanguard if she was to become Brute's vizier, but I can't say that I regretted her dissent.

Emil: …Huh? But she opposed you, didn't she?

Richter: The both of us, along with Aster had a complex relationship with each other. It was a miracle it worked.

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Emil found Jizelle on the beach, a window's view away from the hotel. She was gazing out to see, the tide waxing and splashing at her legs.

_She is so pretty…_He'd only realized it then. Many times had her hair reminded him of Lloyd, that he took no time to wonder how she looked as herself. _Ratatosk could've only loved Jizelle because Aster's feelings had transferred to him._ He brought a hand to his heart. Then it should've transferred to me, too.

"Emil?"

He turned to see Marta and Lloyd, taking seats onto the bed with him. "We've been told," said Lloyd. "You harbor Ratatosk's feelings, don't you?"

Emil bit his lip, and turned to Marta. Her face was grave serious, and not helping. "…Yes. But they're Ratatosk's feelings—not mine."

"We're not pinning anything on you," said Marta, "I just wished you'd told us." She leaned closer to Emil, taking his hands. "You don't have to be afraid of admitting it. I could've understood."

"I know you would," Emil said. "But still…I was scared. If I said anything, I could've gotten more preoccupied about it; who knows, I might've fallen in love myself."

Lloyd sighed. "Yeah…there's no reason not to fall in love with her."

They both turned to him, and Lloyd waved his hands in defense. "Not that I am—there's already someone else!"

Marta then nodded. "She's beautiful, strong-willed, and perceptive."

At those words, cynicism swept over Emil. Something he'd never felt as strongly before. "Strong-willed…" He slowly focused his eyes on Marta. "Is self-sacrifice…strong-willed at all?"

Lloyd bit his lip, and Marta covered hers with one hand. Emil continued, "Thinking back to that time, I now realize that it was the stupidest decision I'd ever made. Nothing good ever came out of it. I went through all of that for nothing!"

"Emil, easy," said Lloyd, his gentle voice ever always present. "It's the past, isn't it? There's no reason to keep hold of it now that you're alive."

"What about Jizelle? I owe her my life, and she's throwing hers away! She says she loves us, but…why must it be this way?" Tears streamed down Emil's eyes, and Marta immediately pulled him close. "Why should she waste herself away like that…why wouldn't she understand us?"

For the moment, he cried into Marta's hair, believing that he was freeing the pain threefold: Aster's, Ratatosk's, and his own. It was as if each aspect of hurt came together in one line, waiting to be shed as a tear, and you couldn't distinguish which was felt by whom.

And then, a giggle. He raised his head, and scrutinized the room.

There, right before the bed, was an ethereal mist. "Waste away? Must you think so awfully?"

Emil's body grew stiff. "Can…you see it?"

"Clear as day," answered Lloyd. Then he asked the mist, "Are you…Jizelle's other self?"

"No," the voice came cheerfully. Lloyd glanced at Emil, who shook his head. _This voice is older sounding than hers._

"Then, who are you?" asked Marta.

"Nobody you'll meet later than this," said the mist. "That woman…she's nobody's other self."

"What do you mean?" pressed Lloyd

"Isn't it the other way around, remember?" Then another giggle. The mist flashed with colors, further denoting her delight. "One is never the same as the other."

"Why are you here?"

"I want to help. I know who you're talking about, and I know where the other person is."

_She knows the other Jizelle?_ thought Emil. "Could you take us there?"

"You can come by yourselves. You only have to do one simple thing."

"What is that?" asked Marta.

A flash of blue from the mist. "Hit the sack."

Emil raised his brows. "You mean…go to _sleep_?"

And Lloyd asked a more alarming question, "Is she in the dream world?"

"Why do you humans call it a dream world?" the mist asked back. "There is more than one way to get here, you know. I'll wait for you."

With that, it disappeared.

Emil wiped his face, and looked out the window again. Jizelle had already risen, and was now wading towards the deeper waters. _We'll save you, and this world,_ he wanted to tell her, _and this time, no one's getting left behind._

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**A/N:** How I wish I can draw doujinshi…but I can't even draw any of the characters but Jizelle…! Dx Aw, heck. Back to Vocaloid with me!


	14. No Better Curiosity

**A/N:** The character behind the ethereal mist is NOT an OC. Her claims go to Satoshi Kon and the crew who made her.

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Fourteen: No Better Curiosity**

Moments after Emil lay down and closed his eyes, he felt something—someone—pulling on his hand. He permitted without question; Lloyd's and Marta's voices surrounded him like a shield.

They met each other on an empty street, lined with stores and billboards. All were open, but none were occupied.

"Ah, so I was able to bring all of you," said the voice of the mist, emerging from behind a bar…she had on the strangest clothes they'd seen. Her hair was cropped short, as reddish orange as her shirt, curving along round cheeks, and her eyes dark with hints of glitter.

"Come on in." She turned back, further opening the door, revealing a counter, and two bartenders. Emil, Lloyd, and Marta entered, and followed the girl to the left of the counter into another room that contained two large seats built upon the walls. Bathing it all was a red light, further emphasizing her shirt and hair.

She sat before one of the tables, one that had a cocktail settled on it. She placed her finger along the rim of the glass as the others sat down.

"To start," she said, "have you made contact with her before any of this?"

Emil nodded. "She can reach me."

She smiled. "You've experienced death, then?"

He gulped. "…Yes."

"That explains." She placed her cheek on the palm of another hand, eyeing them lazily. "She can communicate with those who've died. It was the task assigned to her."

"Task?" said Lloyd. "What _is_ this world? And why don't you use your names?"

"To that first question: this is the past, present, and future rolled into one," she answered. "Moreover, it includes what may have been…or what could be."

"We don't understand," said Marta.

"There isn't really much to understand," she answered, taking a sip from her cocktail. "All I'm saying is that in this world, anything is possible."

Emil raised his brows. "Anything?"

"As anything is possible in your dreams. This place is a home for the real, unreal, and ideal."

"Wouldn't those combined have this world run amok?" asked Lloyd.

"As it does in your world? Of course. This is one of few safe havens scattered throughout _this_ world," one of the bartenders spoke as they entered. "Each belongs to one or a group of people who reside here and entertain visitors."

"You guys must own this place then," Marta said. "What do you do here?"

"I was originally created as an alias to assist psychiatric patients by analyzing their dreams," said the girl. "And _she_…was assigned to the dead."

"Sounds distressing," commented Lloyd. "But again, why not call each other by name?"

Her eyes narrowed. "They are not important. Besides, you tend to forget what you dreamt of, right? Also…her job isn't as distressing as you think it is."

"Could you take us to her now?"

"Not all of you." She placed her finger along the rim, circling it. "I said, she can talk only to those who'd experienced death."

"That counts Lloyd and me out," said Marta. She turned to Emil. "You'll be okay by yourself, right?"

"I've wanted to meet her for so long," said Emil. "And I'd do anything to save Jizelle."

The woman smiled again. "Ah, now I know she'll love to meet you. I'm almost sorry for having you leave your friends behind." She reached a hand across the table to Marta, a card between fingers. "I'll give this to you, and you present this to her when asks about you."

Marta accepted the card, and Emil could see a kiss planted on one side with lipstick. The other side was blank. "It has no name."

"Of course not," the woman rose. "A kiss is enough, you think so?" She winked at both Emil and Lloyd before moving out, returning to the entrance. They followed to watch her open it, and outside, the day was brighter, though grayer. She beamed at them. "You follow the dark clouds."

They looked out, and saw those clouds zooming over the bar, and towards the western horizon. "…How are we going to catch up to _those_?" asked Emil.

Lloyd turned to their hostess, who took her stand with the bartenders. "You mentioned that anything is possible here, right?"

"Accordingly." She pointed at Marta, and when Emil turned to see…her feet were inches above the floor, and emerging from behind were a pair of translucent wings, like those of fairies. He could see her face light up in delight, and she took his hands and pulled him out of the bar.

He felt her touch warm him, then he imagined floating, drifting…soaring with Marta. He felt his soles lose contact with hard ground beneath, neither were there weight nor fear of rising above, the breeze ruffling through his hair.

_This is much more wonderful than a Rheaird…_

He could've lost himself if he hadn't thought of Jizelle…and how lonely her smiles were. He then fixed his eyes upon Marta. "I want Jizelle to be just as happy as you are."

"I'm happy because you make me happy," she answered. "If you could've done it with me, then you can do it with her."

"I can do it because you're the one who keeps me going," said Emil. Marta then averted her gaze, and he tightened his hold. "…You were worried about that, weren't you?"

In answer, Marta pulled herself close to him. "You were always telling us what you'd do for Jizelle, that I couldn't help it. I know you'd never leave me, so…I don't understand this feeling. It couldn't be jealousy, or anything…"

"It's called 'being left behind'." Looking down, they saw the red-haired girl waving at them. "She sings around this time. The louder the song gets, the closer you are."

"Why can't you come with us?" asked Lloyd. Emil eyed him, _Isn't he asking too much?_

"I gotta add some spice onto my favorite patients," she answered. "It's what I do."

_Spice…does _this_ apply?_ Emil waved back, at her. "Thank you for your help," and her whirled around, looking at the clouds speeding away. These will take us to her. _Finally…I can meet the one person Jizelle must have loved!_

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"_Alice in Wonderland…"_

Emil's ears twitched at the voice. He turned to Marta and Lloyd, "I can hear her; we're close."

"_How did you get to Wonderland? Over the hill or underland…"_

_What on earth is she singing?_ he thought. Before him, the clouds merged into one large grey mantle, and poking through it was the needlepoint of a tower.

Lloyd reacted at once. "The Tower of Salvation?"

Marta turned to him. "Is _that_ what it looks like?"

Emil eyed the tower. "It looks amazing," he remarked.

Her voice rang again, and he wondered how it could be done at such an amazing radius.

"_When clouds go rolling by, they roll away and leave the sky. Where is the land beyond the eye? The people cannot see…"_

"I can hear her too," said Marta. "Her voice…it's beautiful."

At that, Emil then felt his eyes drooping. The wind currents blasted unevenly past him, titling him to one side. Why did I suddenly get so tired…?

But he still spotted it. Just below that peak, on the topmost floor, there she stood, fully cloaked, with rose-colored skirts peeking underneath._  
_  
She invited them, _"Where can it be…where do the stars go…where is the crescent moon?"_ As he drew near, Emil then saw one thing he could've nowhere near anticipated.

She had and a shadow for her nose, and a lipless mouth that formed, _"They must be somewhere in the sunny afternoon."_

He landed, and turned back. Lloyd and Marta had the same expressions on their faces.

She welcomed them with a high laugh that seemed to once again reverberate around them. Layer after layer, the giggles lingered in chorus before lifting beyond the clouds, one at a time.

**A/N:** Yeah, short, I know. Just can't introduce "other self" full throttle yet. I also made a reference to _Alice in Wonderland_, the OP of the Disney movie. I'm telling you, it just fits so perfectly…And if you guessed that our redhead hostess is **Paprika**, then congratulations! If you watched the movie, while you reread this chapter, imagine Emil, Marta, and Lloyd flying to the chant "Yoiya naze ni mugen to bihai" and drop a line of what you think in the review!


	15. Incalculably Divine Chorus

**A/N:** I haven't mentioned this before, but the title _isn't_ pronounced as ex-hatch, but _crosshatch_. Also, apologies for multiple errors, but I plan to finish the fic first before cleaning it up. Don't worry, it won't take long…about a half-year or so (your cue to go 0_o).

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Fifteen: Incalculably Divine Chorus**

She was more frightening up front. There was no hair to cover her eyeless face; either they brushed along silken cheeks or were pulled back.

The cloaked girl flung her arms around Emil's neck, the furs of her cloak folding behind, revealing a small bodice with frills that sealing what was otherwise her exposed cleavage. "Ahahaha, it's the cute boy Jizelle had rescued! When big sister told me you were coming, I was so thrilled!"

"Big sister…" stammered Emil.

"I think she meant this," Marta then held out the card she was given, her face marked with a frown.

The card was snatched from Marta's hands, and raised it. "Pass!" She scurried away, placing it on a table that hid behind a column snaked with blue marble. When she'd returned, they found a white animal squirming between her palms.

Marta squealed, and Emil figured that her spirits were back. "A carbuncle!"

"It's a lot smaller than a carbuncle," commented Lloyd.

"They're called facets from where they came from." She raised the young red-eyed creature and rubbed noses with it. "His name is Hayden. We've always been together in this place."

"Wait; _Hayden_?" asked Emil. "You named him after…"

"The person I was going to marry. We were always together, way back when." She offered Hayden to Marta, who willingly cuddled him in her arms.

"I'm very sorry to hear about that," said Lloyd.

She closed the distance between them, "Sorry about what? It wasn't the first time you heard that I died before we married, right?" She sighed, "Humans are so worrisome…"

She turned back once more. Emil grabbed onto her cloak. "Wait, we need your help. Jizelle's going to let —"

She placed a finger on his lips, leaning her blank face until he felt her unseen nose on him. He shuddered, and she rubbed him soothingly, "They say it's bad luck to request immediately. Can't you keep my company for the littlest while?"

Lloyd cleared his throat, "We don't have much time."

She giggled, "You could've at least asked for my name first." From her cloak, she tore away Emil's hand and pulled it into hers. "Big sister wanted you to hear it from me. I'm Laure-Adeline Monique Victorine Cendrillon de Corbière. But I'm fine with just Adelle."

Adelle released Emil, who held back his relief but closing his mouth shut. She then approached Lloyd, encircling him. "Don't you?" she asked. "You stop aging after death right? So your timeline doesn't move so long as you're here."

She stopped, facing him, and laughed. "That means it's bad luck to tell me whenever you choose. Slipped that part."

Emil bit his lip. _Could this really be Jizelle's other self?_ Somewhere, he felt an undeniable doubt.

And he frowned at her.

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**~SKIT: The Persisting Name~**

Lloyd: Hmmm…

Emil: What is it, Lloyd?

Lloyd: Could it be…

Emil: …Yeah…?

Lloyd: That name…it's terribly long. It's the first time I've ever heard anything like it.

Marta: Maybe it's an elven custom.

Lloyd: I've been to Heimdall, and I've never known anyone with a longer name.

Emil: Maybe she has the longest name in the world.

Lloyd: Possibly. But there's still…

Marta: What?

Lloyd: I can't explain it, but…I think I'm gonna get used to it. Knowing that somebody has such a long name, I mean…

Emil: She's gonna be stuck with us, whether we like it or not. I just hope she'd go easy…I want to save Jizelle, no matter what!

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**~SKIT: A Different Relationship~**

Marta: Adelle and Jizelle. You could almost say they're sisters.

Lloyd: That's a pretty much the closest guess to their real relationship.

Emil: Yeah…commensalism, right?

Lloyd: Exactly. Adelle offered Jizelle her life energy without risking any harm to herself. One benefits while the other stays neutral.

Marta: That's not a fair relationship.

Lloyd: Could you have thought of a better way, Marta?

Marta: Well, Adelle could've attained something for herself, too. Like what Emil and I are sharing.

Emil: Marta, it's almost as if you're suggesting…

Marta: Whatever it is you're thinking, it's not that. Unless you're willing to change our current relationship for them to fit in…

Emil: No! That isn't what I meant!

Lloyd: *sigh* Couples. They're all the same.

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The balcony of the Tower of Salvation was nowhere near its original appearance while Colette was performing her duties as Chosen, according to Lloyd. Gray clouds passing right over it, but never raining, and a brass railing that prevented bleak scenery from mingling with a small home, lacking baths, beds, food, and relativity in design.

Adelle hummed to her sleeping facet as she leaned against one of her columns, framed at the bottom with crops that were, apparently, edible for the pet.

The other three watched her as they relaxed on a couch…no less than two of them were, at any rate. Emil still felt his muscles gradually, tensing, despite the recent claim of "time not passing whilst dead."

_Jizelle would never rub it in the way Adelle had,_ he told himself, and drew his fists even tighter.

"You really like singing, don't you?" Marta asked, breaking the silence that Adelle had created upon finishing her hums.

"It's always been my greatest delight," she said. "This Hayden loved them as much as the other did."

"Don't you miss him?" asked Lloyd.

She continued to smile. "Of course I miss him. I would wish that he could just hear as if I stood right beside him. I'd love to sing for him again."

Emil's mouth slightly gaped at her answer. _I saw it. A small hint …_Then he spoke, "Could you…sing for us?"

She turned to face him, and he braved himself to face her. A long silence.

He saw it, however: her face grew moist at the place where tears would overflow at the bottom ridge of her eyes. They streamed down her cheeks, and she skimmed a finger along them.

Her voice, however, remained intact. "Why?" she asked back, "What shall a song do now when there's no Hayden for it to listen to?"

"You have us," said Marta.

"What shall a song do for _you_?" She bent down with a quick sniff, and laid Hayden onto the mound at the base of the pillar—it had simultaneously served as a sleeping spot. "He would live, then die. Always, over and over. I would play with him while he was alive, then sing to as he lay dying. My dearest heart."

"Heart…" Emil repeated the words to himself. "You shared your heart with Jizelle. But they were both incomplete."

"In an unlikely manner." Adelle squatted onto the floor, caressing the motionless facet. "We can both feel," but she can't show grief. Or anger, sadness…pity, Jizelle can't even cry."

She said all this in a cheerful tone that had once again sickened Emil's insides. It was difficult not to believe that she had no bearing for her actions.

"But he'll get up," said Marta. "That counts, right?"

Adelle quickly rose, and turned back to them, and Emil met a soothing image in the midst of anxiety. Eyes reminiscent of Jizelle's wholly illuminated her face, also adding lashes and brows that were as dark as her hair. "Just so he can die again? That's cruelty!"

"Then you do understand," said Lloyd. "All who live will die at one point. Now, don't you think it's too soon for Jizelle?"

She raised her brows, _humanely_. "Too soon?"

"She's gonna have Hayden kill her," rushed Emil. "Please, could you make her reconsider?"

After a moment of gravity, she began to laugh once more. "Does she seem like the kind to appraise her decisions?"

"You're her other self, aren't you?" said Marta. "You can fill in what's missing!"

"Supposedly. But…" she stretched a palm over her face, and her eyes disappeared upon removing them. "I can talk only make contact with those who experienced death. Big sister favored you, so I let you in. Honestly, though, I can't tell if I did the right thing or not."

Emil held a growl back. "Will you help us or not?"

"Can't," came the immediate answer. "Jizelle has to pass through death to meet me. Have you ever wondered if _that_ was what she intended?"

"She's throwing her life _just_ for the sake of meeting _you_?" Marta rose from the couch. Impatience had overcome her earlier than it had Emil. "She's better off not meeting you at all!"

"I'm not the one to decide that." Adelle's cloak slid obligingly across the floor as she reached a section in the back where soiled filled the cemented hollow container of what was a miniature garden. "Even if I won't be able to do anything now," from the garden, she moved to a table, where she drew out plastic and papers and ribbons, "I still want her to know I'm watching."

Her voice was followed by the sounds of ripping, and Emil took the opportunity for a private discussion. "It's not working," he hissed.

"But _she's_ Jizelle, alright," said Marta, "the more annoying side of her."

"But she's _still_ Jizelle," Lloyd. "Smart comebacks, strong composure, traumas. All the same."

"How is that going to help?" asked Marta.

"You have to think the way they do," he answered. "I was actually trying to work something out. They are one and the same. So, if I were either of them, then I really wouldn't say, 'I'd be with you,' ; I'd rather say, 'I am you, and you are me—' "

"Living on either side of a thin line that only wishes could penetrate, we can never share one state as two." Adelle held in her arms a bundle of plants, topped with small, purplish and white flowers. This she offered to Marta. "A reminder for Jizelle that we were never apart; we just brush past each other."

"The cruel fate of sacrifice and chance," said Emil. The idea had burst into his mind like the most natural thing to say.

Adelle nodded back. " 'The abyss that surrounds can never bind us.' Those were my first parting words with her. That's the time she'll believe that you've met me."

Marta sniffed the bouquet, "What are these flowers for, then?"

"I already said. To know that I'm watching. Or maybe you don't know what their meaning is yet." She shrugged. "Your loss."

Since their arrival was it well buried in his mind, then came the image of the weeping girl and the unjustly fated brother back into Emil's memory. "The twins. What happened to them?" He disregarded the expressions of Marta and Lloyd thereafter.

"They're alright, bless them." Adelle led the three to the edge where they had landed onto. "They're leading a completely different life, but the love remained."

At this, Emil felt Marta's hand encasing his as they felt their soles leave the floor.

Adelle then took hold of Emil's other hand. And brushed her lips along it. He felt his skin tingle with warmth, as well as a faintness he could not describe.

"I'm not convinced that meeting you is fate, but I'm so happy I did."

Wind pulled him away, but not until the warmth had filled him, that he smiled back, "I wouldn't miss this for anything."

Just before they left, Emil then noticed the young furry bundle against the column prick his ears.

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**A/N:** Skits return! Hayden in this chapter refers to a red-eyed dwarf bunny that I've renamed as a facet for the plot's sake. And for the Vocaloid fans, you read right: I used Cendrillon, the French derivation of Cinderella.


	16. From Point to Point in the Prism

**A/N:** Happy Guy Fawkes Day, everyone! Uh yeah, took forever to update, but at least I did. So as an extra apology, I added a link **to JIZELLE'S AND ADELLE'S CONCEPT ART** on my profile! Hooray!

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Sixteen: From Point to Point in the Prism**

The first thing Emil heard within his consciousness was a _creak_. He rose from the bed and snatched up the bouquet of flowers that Marta accepted from Adelle, which had materialized in her hands.

Mameha lingered at the entrance, fingertips taut against the door. Her face was one hue paler upon seeing the little buds that brushed against Emil's skin. Lloyd and Marta sat up and greeted Mameha with similar abrupt dumbness.

"You've met Adelle," she said. "She'd sent those same flowers eight years before."

"What are you doing here?" asked Marta.

"You have something against it?"

"Absolutely not," Lloyd said. "Jizelle's down at the beach."

Mameha maintained a look of sternness that made Emil so reminiscent of Jizelle. "I've spoken with her. And I'm not worried, nor afraid, nor sad with what she has chosen."

Emil tightened his hold on the bouquet. "Then _why_ are you here?"

"No preservative for the blood?" From her pockets, she drew out a gem. "You've checked the volcanoes, haven't you?"

They eyed the stone. It had no fixed color; it flashed blue, red, cyan, green…similar to the cloud that they'd spoken to before entering the dream.

"A special type of sunstone," said Mameha. "Chromahela, taken from solidified magma."

"It's so beautiful," said Marta. "But how does it help?"

"Its preserving power is much stronger than that of Cruxis Crystals." Mameha placed the stone in Lloyd's hand. "A fresh one like that would have blood last even longer than their corpses."

Lloyd's eyes were wide as he looked from the stone to Mameha. "It's perfect!"

Emil forced a smile. "Thank you so much, Mameha."

He felt her wrinkled fingers under his chin. "You will not stop her," she said with firmness. "It seems very well like she is giving in, but you will _not_ stop her."

Emil began to search his mind for a piece of denial. But what he got was a memory. His vision blurred as he listened once more to Jizelle's voice, _"All the more reason to give the responsibility of Niflheim to me!"_

"No," he murmured. "In my vision, Jizelle said she wanted to take responsibility over Niflheim. She's going to set Ratatosk free."

Marta gave an immediate answer, "And however way she'll do it…"

"…Wouldn't be good," said Lloyd. "She knows that Ratatosk killed Aster, and she'll encounter Richter at the door—"

"They'll _both_ double-cross Ratatosk!" Emil exclaimed. The realization struck him and spread tortuously throughout his body. His free hand rolled into fists, and Adelle's bouquet was crushing in his other. "Damn, why didn't I see it before?"

"Jizelle had taken too much thought," Mameha shrugged. "Cruel thing, love. It makes you lose sense of your common sense."

Marta gently skimmed Emil's shoulders in her constant attempts to comfort him. "Love's a good thing, too," she said. "You defy common sense, and you commit the impossible." She caressed his cheek, and forced him to stare at her smile. "For what other reason would people do crazy things?"

He calmed, so much that it froze him. Still, he leaned his forehead against Marta's. "Before I met you, I never dreamt of a life _this_ crazy. But I'm happier."

Lloyd leapt out of the bed and crouched at their feet. "So are we." He grabbed Adelle's bouquet from Emil's hands, and stood up, giving the chromahela a toss. "About time we gave Jizelle a present, huh?"

Marta helped Emil out of bed, and brought herself into Mameha's arms. "Thank you."

"Yes, yes," she said, patting Marta's back. "You watch your backs."

Lloyd sped out of the room and towards the elevator, where he kept the door open for Emil and Marta. At the ground floor, he still led on, exiting the hotel, and into the young evening. They skipped stairs to the beach, and kicked off their boots before looking out to sea.

There was no one.

"I thought that Mameha had already spoken to her," Marta panted.

"She has to be somewhere in the city," said Emil. He scanned the horizon, the stairs which they had come down from, and in the distance the platform where the cars to Lezareno rested. And inside the cars…a dark coat of velvet, shimmering with the moon and water.

It was what Jizelle had worn on herself when Emil had first met her.

"There!" Emil pointed to the cars. "You see the cloth?"

"It's…Jizelle's!" said Marta. With one sweep of her arms, her boots were in her hand, and she ran in her leggings up the stairs and towards the pier, and crossing it. She stopped, her head tilted towards the second level.

Emil soon found why. Just emerging from behind the reception booth several feet above water was Jizelle, one arm—holding a blade—against another:

"That's Hayden!" said Lloyd, dropping the bouquet. "We've gotta hold him off and give her the stone."

As he said this, Emil had noticed one more thing about Hayden: coils sprouting from his once-empty arm, ending in a fingered clasp, holding his sword. "He has a prosthetic limb!"

A _clang_, and Jizelle leapt back, closer to the edge of the pier. She caught Marta in her eyes, but her face refused to show her a trace of impatience. "What are you doing here?"

Marta turned to Lloyd, "Give it to her!" With that, Hayden was also diverted. He jumped off the platform, landing behind Marta.

Emil drew his sword and sliced through the air, "Demon Fang!" A yellow streak charged at Hayden, who blocked with the broad side of his own sword, Marta gaining several a several-feet allowance from him, and put on her spinners.

Jizelle, her form still overlooking the remaining of them, fixed her eyes upon the chromahela. Emil could clearly see a rare eagerness lining her eyes.

"Were you not taught to meddle in adult affairs, children?" asked Hayden, his eyes full of enthusiasm. He used lifted his blade to Emil, "Were _you_ not taught the limitation of mana?"

"Mana wasn't what brought him to life," answered Marta. "Our memories did! Our _love_ for him did!"

"Then it would've been true for everybody else," Hayden answered back with a glare. "Such a concept is too ideal." He twisted to face Jizelle. "For how long shall you play 'savior and mentor?' They ought to know better."

"You're the one making a game out of this, Hayden" Jizelle said, pointing her sword cautiously at him. She eyed them again, notably Lloyd. "Give me the chromahela, Lloyd."

At the mentioning the stone, Hayden swung his sword effortlessly at Lloyd. "You shan't give it!"

"Why not?" Emil said. "What do _you_ care about it? You're only interested in killing Jizelle, aren't you? You, an elf, who despises violence—"

"Enough!" Hayden's body skid across water, ready to strike—

The sound pierced the air.

Before Emil was Jizelle, pressing against Hayden's broadness with a thin katana. Emil stepped back, overtaken by Lloyd who reached the stone to her. "You're right, Hayden," she murmured, closing her fist over the chromahela that Lloyd had smuggled to her, "enough."

A hand encased Emil's shoulder, and he found Richter standing at his side, sword also drawn. "I returned as soon as I could."

"There's really no time left, then," Jizelle told him. She slammed her katana in a seemingly brutal fashion, sending Hayden into the blue, his clothes splashed, and volts greedily climbing up his metal arm.

Amidst his cries of pain and a rush to comprehend, Jizelle gazed at the bouquet covered in sand, and sent Emil what might've been closest to a glare. Wordlessly, she sped away, towards the outer gate of Altamira.

"Jizelle, wait!" Richter called to them, but Jizelle did not pause. Nothing close to it.

Emil could already feel his face burning. The scene wasn't as different as her first parting in Meltokio, but he couldn't help but feel…_used_.

Richter picked up the flowers and shook off the dust particles that had stuck to the green and bits of purple and white. "…These flowers."

"We've never seen them before," Lloyd explained, attempting to take control of the mood. "It was a gift…from…"

"I'd seen them," Richter said in a lower voice, "they bloomed in the Sybak weeks after Aster's death."

And for the first time since they had arrived on the beach, Emil remembered Adelle's words. "We were never apart," they rang like bells echoing across the skies, "we just brush past each other."

His fists clenched as he stared at the bouquet. He had a feeling, almost as if the flowers were peeking into him, demanding entrance, and all that he needed to do was open the door wide… "Could it be…the flowers are a sign."

"A sign of hope, yeah," said Marta.

"Not just that. A sign…that it's _time_." Bubbling in Emil's chest was a something he hadn't genuinely felt for the longest time: hope. "Jizelle and Adelle…they're preparing to meet each other! The Ginnungagap must be that place! It makes sense!"

"Emil, we don't know for sure—" Lloyd began.

"If that were possible," interjected Richter, "then Emil may be suggesting that the door Ratatosk guards opens to other worlds _besides_ Niflheim, or there may be different doorways altogether. But we're certain of where we could find answers."

They all turned to Hayden, who'd hoisted himself inshore. Richter strode over to disarm him before grabbing his mail, and pulled him upright with a grunt.

Emil gulped. Communicating with the enemy was not the best idea in mind, but he knew of no risk. It occurred to him that if ever he'd pulled them into a game, then one party may have permanently gained the upper hand…and it wasn't his.

He wasn't even sure if there were only two parties—heroes and enemies—anymore. There could've been a third, to neither he nor Hayden nor Ratatosk could've fit into.

And that spot belonged to Jizelle and Adelle, who equally shared the role of God. There was no opposition; everyone had been tamed, everyone had roles to fulfill, some had already done so, and were discarded with death under their watch. As Aster had been.

Emil closed his eyes, and imagined Adelle was watching her pieces from a pedestal, he airtight giggles mocking him. Jizelle sat on one of the armrests, her head cocked to one side, victory coloring her eyes white.

"_Why…"_

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**A/N:** Can't believe I held this off for months. Blame Kanon and Beatrice. HUGE CREDIT TO THE OST that always puts me in the mood when I'm away from the Wii.


	17. Translucency in the Blessed

**A/N:** Sorry for all of the errors you've been seeing here and there in the story. For some reason, writing this story in particular makes me feel drunkish…thanks for those *unidentifiable* readers who are trafficking, and to AntiSora and Chelsea for their support!

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Seventeen: Translucency in the Blessed**

When Emil, Richter, and Hayden took to one of the suites in the Altamira hotel, Richter had struck Hayden again, and Emil took hold of his arm. "Stop it!"

Richter shook Emil away, and surveyed him crossly, "He knows what's going to happen in the Ginnugagap! We can't enter until we have a forewarning!" He closed his palm into a fist, and with his other, latched onto Hayden's exposed neck. "And I _will_ force it out of him!"

Emil probed his fingers between Richter's, wrenching them away from Hayden. "You'll kill him!"

"That's just what I'll do when we're done with him," Richter's stifled growl was something Emil had not heard before, nor did he think Richter himself would use it on such an occasion. "He's been haunting Jizelle's footsteps for years, and has made her an object of spite in Tethe'alla! Not even Aster or I could keep her safe, but we swore to try! We swore on _her_, Emil!"

Without struggle, Richter lifted his arm and Emil off the air, before throwing him upon the tiles of the hotel suite. Before Emil could sit up, Richter had both palms on his cheeks, his weight nearly upon him. "We both swore to protect Jizelle, Aster and I. Then Aster began advancing on her, against her will. He brought her presents, took her to dinner, kissed her, promised to even marry her. And I was being pushed aside at the same time."

"Richter…" Emil gulped. He could see it. There was a moistness that lined Richter's eyes. But that was how they stayed…lining. "You too…you loved Jizelle too, didn't you?" He heard a growl before he was thrown down again, and Richter rose above him, turning his gaze away. For a moment, it didn't even matter, and lifted his upper body off the floor. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell _her_?"

"There was nothing either of you could've done!" Richter shouted, and grabbed Hayden again. "I came back because I couldn't stand Ratatosk tell me how _he_ loved _her_! And I missed her—by a damn margin! You know what she's going to do with that stone, don't you?"

Hayden raised a brow at him, disappearing behind his thick dark locks. "What can you gain from knowing that? Not her love, certainly."

"Not the life of _your_ love, either," Richter answered back, and Hayden froze, a glint vanishing from his eyes. "She's _alive_, and I'll exchange her life for Jizelle's when called for."

Hayden was not at a loss. He smirked, "Prove, then, that my love is worth her sacrifice."

The challenge filled Emil with frustration that he unbuckled his sheathed sword and cast it onto the ground. The clang from the metal hilt echoed across the room, followed by Emil's sharp breaths. "If you're going to fight like this, then there's no way we're standing against Jizelle and…" He wouldn't let Hayden hear out Adelle's name, "…_her_. I might as well to the Ginnungagap without a fight."

"You're giving up?" asked Richter.

"I am not fighting Jizelle!" Emil raised his voice at them. "I won't!"

"How then will you bring her to reason?" Hayden contrasted. "How are you to prevent her from dying?"

Emil's fist stilled, and he stared at his feet, recalled Mameha's counsel. "No, I'm not stopping her. For that other reason, I wouldn't fight. But I'm afraid for the moment Jizelle crosses death to meet her. There's no certainty about what will happen to her. And it feels like I lost a benefactor, aside from Aunt Flora and Uncle Alba…not even that—it's like I missed the chance of becoming a real son!"

He buried his face in his hands. "Stupid; how could I have lived without acknowledging a mother? Even Ratatosk and I were first born out of _something_…Aunt Flora just can't fit the bill…it has to be Jizelle!"

His hands were wrung away by Richter, who aimed to strike at a cheek, for which Emil braced. Yet it never came. He lips trembled as he exchanged a softened look with Richter, and was set down soundlessly onto his feet.

"That is so naïve of you," Hayden stated, "though it no longer matters. She slipped through all our fingers with an ambition in mind. That's the most irritable thing men find in all women."

"Women aren't the only people with ambition," growled Richter.

Instead of thinking about himself or Richter, Ratatosk entered Emil's mind. What ambition is driving him now? What shall he do to keep Jizelle from the door? It was hostile behavior, but it will stall. He'd seen how both would refuse to humble to an enemy. In the challenge he imagined, it shall be a tug-of-war of wit, pride, and brutality.

* * *

**A/N:** The quickest chapter I ever had to do. The [divine] inspiration was cut by, an unfortunately more…[divine] week. Also, shameless plug to my Twitter: /thesebzgal


	18. Glassy Needs

**A/N:** I totally wish those *unknown* readers would reveal themselves already, or I'm rebuilding the scaffold of Tower Green!

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Eighteen: Glassy Needs**

Adelle sat across the square table from Emil, placing the teacup on its surface. "Hayden really said that?"

He nodded. "I don't understand what he meant exactly. It's like he wouldn't care if you'd exchanged lives…or that he's acknowledging that you're already dead."

"Or denying that I'm still alive," Adelle said, with a shallow expression. The bunny who was Hayden's namesake hopped towards her, and she carried him onto the table and rubbed between his ears. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be so devoted on taking his revenge on Jizelle."

"But she didn't kill you! Why can't Hayden accept that?"

"Why won't Jizelle tell him?"

"There's no reasoning with him! He's still being interrogated by Richter, and nothing on Jizelle is coming out! And once he sees Jizelle, he's bent on killing her—"

"Correct." Her mouth curled into a grin that made Emil consider his speculation that she played God. "Hayden does want to kill Jizelle. It's taken him sixteen years to do so, and nothing comes out of it. He demoted himself from grand to ordinary. A person who _just_ gets in the way."

Emil desired to search her face again, how high her brows were raised, how bright her eyes would seem at her control. "…What are you getting to?"

"How do you deal with objects that lose their worth?" Adelle asked darkly, lifting an elbow onto the table and resting her chin on its palm with poise. The cloak folded back, revealing the left half of her bodice: a pink stomacher with its side strewn vertically with small pearls. "Or, more accurately: how do you dispose of it?"

Emil clenched his teeth. _Just how low could she get?_ His shoulders began to tense, and he felt rushing in his ears. "If Hayden is useless, why wait away the sixteen years to kill him?"

"Because he isn't useless."

"What?"

Adelle rose, with brusque grace, from her seat, and bent her torso forward over the table, her nose nearly touching Emil's. "You're not thinking straight, Emil."

Emil threw his fist on the table, and the sound of flesh hitting perched glass echoed across the rose-threaded walls of the tea room. "_You're_ the one who isn't making any sense!"

"Isn't that rude?" Emil remembered how Jizelle had asked him this in her drunken state, and was indecisive of her motive. In Adelle's case, she made clear that the query was no joke. "Have you forgotten the cause of dreams, Emil, to fend away the dark?"

Emil rose from the table, "Then keep me in the dark no longer!"

What Emil had heard coming out of his lips was an archaic response in Ratatosk's voice, and he covered his mouth with an open palm…catching a whiff of dry blood. He sniffed his mitt, and held it out to see stiff patches even darker than the original black fabric. "…What is…"

"Aster's blood."

Emil diverted his eyes from the mitt and found Jizelle in front of Adelle's seat, and the table between them disintegrating with the white wall and its climbing roses.

"Weren't you the one who killed him, Emil?"

The words were not less easy to bear as they had before. When he spoke, his voice had not returned. "…Ratatosk—"

"Do not distinguish yourself. You and Ratatosk are one person. You're equally guilty of killing Aster as he is."

"But you told me yourself," Emil continued in Ratatosk's voice, "you taught me that once I contradicted Ratatosk's feelings, I can be Emil in my own right!"

A grin spread across her face. The widest he'd seen on Jizelle, as well as the most menacing. "_Do_ you? Can your feelings be really different?"

She caught his arm, and pulled him close. Her face went past him, and he felt her cold breath against his ear. "You _both_ regretted Aster's death, and you _both_ loved me. You're so predictable that I'll have no trouble dealing with _both_ you in the Ginnungagap."

From his arm, her hand climbed up his sides and cupped his cheek, withdrawing her face to meet his, nose against nose. "I'm glad to have made you fret so excessively about me. It had taken a fancy to it since Aster and Richter—"

"You're not Jizelle!" Emil retorted, bending his head away from her.

She stepped backward, shrugging. "Fine; I've told you who you are. It's your turn to do likewise with me."

Emil caught his tongue. How could he? If not Jizelle, this was a perfect impersonation of her! But then again, his voice was distorted into Ratatosk's…by _whose_ will? "Somebody sent you to mess with my head! You're neither Adelle nor Jizelle!"

"A poor answer!" Jizelle said. "What is your basis?" Still, Emil saw it: her face stiffened with guilt.

And he faked his upper hand, "In the world of dreams, Adelle has shown me that there is no absolute authority. She proved it with her facet's death—she couldn't control it! All she did was determine the time of their meeting—waiting for Jizelle while she prepared for her own part."

He felt his spirit lift, and his confusion disperse. He added, slowly, "Adelle and Jizelle have shown me there is no god to manipulate them, but their own selves using whatever means to drive their own destiny. It is those who fear disjunction who have claimed otherwise, like the Hayden who left Heimdall on a phony quest."

His voice gradually normalized, and he couldn't help but smile. "Ratatosk and I both love Jizelle, that's something I can never deny. But though the depth of our feelings is the same, they drive us to do different things. Before I had gone to sleep, I had decided to respect her choice. Ratatosk can never do that if it meant opening the door. He will fight, but she will be stronger. She'll open the door, and erase you—a useless thing!"

"What did you say?!" Jizelle bent her knees, and stepped her right foot forward, lunging a fist at him. Emil crossed his forearms over his head…

When he opened his eyes, he saw the faint blue glow of the ceiling as reflected by the moonlit ocean.

He heard a sigh. "Thank goodness."

Turning his head, he found Marta sitting up beside him, wiping what seemed to be sweat away from his forehead. "I woke up to hear you murmuring and twitching against me. A bad dream?"

"Not really," replied Emil, taking Marta's hand, and thought of Jizelle. "I've figured it out," he said. "What I feel for you may be what Ratatosk feels for Jizelle. It wouldn't matter if it were for the better good; Ratatosk can't lose her. That's why he won't let her open the door."

Marta gave "Jizelle wouldn't count on it. She'll get through, sooner or later."

"Could you call her a weakness?" asked Emil.

"Do you consider _me_ a weakness?" Marta asked back.

Emil tightened his grip on her hand. "Never."

The mutuality was halted when their door banged open, and Richter entered, heading for them and pulling Emil's back off the bed by the arm.

Marta held Emil back. "Richter, what are you doing?"

"I'm done waiting," answered Richter. "We're taking Hayden to the Ginnungagap."

"Aren't we supposed to keep him _away_ from the Ginnungagap?" Emil's brow lowered to his nose.

Richter shook his head. "I've disarmed him. He could only watch."

"How's bringing him going to solve anything?" asked Marta.

"It won't. He'll only watch." He pulled Emill off the bed, then Marta. "Jizelle would have Ratatosk out of the door at any moment; we can't just stay here and wait for her to open it."

"Ratatosk won't go down without a fight," said Emil. "He's never going to let her through."

Richter patted Emil's head, "Let's hope so."

* * *

**A/N:** Christmas is on the way! Whoopee! And I just watched _Higurashi no Naku Koro ni_. Beautiful. Very active in the When they Cry, and on Vocaloid. Voice out your interests for the two! Or review. Or something or other.


	19. The Stealthy Laugh of a Waltz

**A/N:** Awesome new favicon. So here it is, the latest opus:

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Nineteen: The Stealthy Laugh of a Waltz**

~SKIT: Overlapping Guilt ~

Emil: Lloyd?

Lloyd: Yeah?

Emil: Are you…miffed?

Lloyd: Miffed? Why would I be miffed?

Marta: Well, dragged you along with us all day, while your friends are in the other cities. It was selfish of us…

Lloyd: R-really, you have nothing to worry about. I'm fine; I'm glad I could help you.

Emil: Yes, you really were. We could never have gone this far without you. But it was still—

Lloyd: That's all I needed to hear. It's okay; I don't regret anything.

Marta: Thanks.

Emil: Thank you so much.

* * *

As everybody paused in front of the Otherworldly Gate, Raine asked, "What do you really want, Emil?"

He turned to look at them all. "…What do you mean?"

"You've been going back and forth on whether you wanted Jizelle to open the door or not," said Genis. "One minute you'll say she will, and the next, you'll say Ratatosk isn't going to let her."

He blinked once as he scanned through his mind. _I have been doing that…_"Maybe…it's because of what I think is behind the door."

"Niflheim is sure to be behind that door," said Zelos, "otherwise, Ratatosk wouldn't be so persistent in guarding it."

"But what if it's something else," asked Lloyd, who faced Zelos. "What if it's _more_? Think about it: how was Jizelle able to revive Emil in the Ginnungagap? That was plainly different from taking Ratatosk's memory."

There was a silence, and Emil stepped forward, presenting his Sorcerer's Ring. He stepped inside the glowing circle and felt himself disintegrating, uncomfortably, but not painfully.

Though instead of landing safely at the entrance, he felt a harsh pull, and the next moment he was rushing along a mana channel. Everything around him was a blur, and his voice amplified, "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Jizelle must've set this up!" came Regal's voice. "She's leading us straight into the Ginnugagap!"

"You mean she might've finished Ratatosk already?" Colette said.

It was meant to be a murmur, but Emil heard Richter curse, "Dammit," and he prayed to himself, _Please let us make it._

He felt the full impact of the ground, numbing his body for a short moment. Staring ahead, he found Jizelle, just meters away standing on one side of the door into Niflheim…and possibly, others.

At her feet was Ratatosk's form, laid in a battered state. Emil could see the blood from his forehead dripping from his nose. His eyes were shut, though Emil felt that Ratatosk sensed him nearby.

"Adelle!"

Emil's ears perked at Lloyd's voice. _Adelle…_he turned to his left, and there stood Adelle, in her dress and cloak, with eyes a lucid blue. From his right, he could also see Jizelle's head shift.

Neither smiled at the sight of them. Neither did they frown.

Emil pulled himself up, and clasped his sword, but with no intention to withdraw it.

"…You're here." said Jizelle. Ratatosk stirred at her feet, but did not open his eyes.

"What have you done with Ratatosk?" Richter said. "You know how unstable the mana flow is—"

"Unstable, yes. Easy to manipulate, true." Jizelle pulled her lips into a dull smile. "Understand that the disruption was merely a matter of luck. I'll have Ratatosk unconscious either way." She bent down, and stroked Ratatosk's hair. "I'm honestly not sure of how he'll feel when he wakes up. Angered, betrayed, or maybe even grateful.

"You're nervous, aren't you?" asked Adelle. She crossed the hall and stood before the door. "We're not together yet, but we feel what we lack."

"What are you planning, Jizelle?" said Marta. "What's the point of going all the way here and getting Adelle, and not coming back?"

Jizelle turned to Marta, but Emil could nonetheless feel her partial gaze on him just as intensely as her full attention. "You'll have to see, then. Not everything you said has been done…yet." She reached down her back, and pulled out the stone—the chromahela—and her crossbow. She gave a soft chuckle, "I'm in Mameha's debt…"

"I'll pay her for you," said Adelle, who raised her hands between her body and the door. Jizelle stepped behind her, raising the crossbow above Adelle's head, and the chromahela sent a visible channel down the drawstring.

Emil felt a tinge of fear. _Not everything you said has been done…It can't be…_It overwhelmed him that he raised his voice, "You're coming back, aren't you?"

"What?" exclaimed Genis. "What are you talking about, Emil? Jizelle's not going anywhere; they're just opening the door!"

"And you're not stopping them?" Hayden spoke. "How thickheaded are you?"

Emil could see Adelle's hands quaver at this, but her eyes refrained from suggestion.

"We're not even sure of what they're intending to do," Zelos said. "Jizelle, you've opened the door and pulled out this 'girl' you've wanted to meet after sixteen years, right?"

Jizelle twisted her head without lowering the bow. "…Yes."

"And the chromahela," Regal pointed, "_that_ stone, will allow you to sacrifice less blood than necessary to drive away demons."

Jizelle nodded. "You're not mistaken."

"What else do you need to do then?" Richter stepped past Emil and flung his arms round Jizelle. "What more do you _want_?"

Marta used one hand to cover her mouth, and the other to clasp Emil's hand. He only nodded the answer, _Richter loves her._ Everyone else understood, and there was a momentary silence.

A low laugh, a near-mournful laugh, escaped from Jizelle's lips. "I suppose you're thinking I've wanted too much at a time. I've only, rather, wished for things too great." She leaned her neck back and nestled her head against his shoulder. "You'll have to release me."

Nobody refrained from cringing when Richter lightly loosened his hold and rested his lips against Jizelle's ear. "You'll have to tell me first what your greatest wish is."

Then Richter smiled. Emil's eyes widened. _He smiled, despite everything…!_

She scoffed, "You're being affectionate, now?"

"I've restrained myself for so long…And you responded first."

"Now you're making me regret it." Jizelle straightened up. "If you _must_ know, then."

Jizelle plunged down and out of Richter's hold, and before he could recover, Jizelle swung her leg against his ankles, sending him to the ground. She pulled out an arrow and drove the head down her arm, coating the tip in blood.

Rising once more, she armed her bow and took quick aim.

"NO!" Emil heard his own cry as he ran towards Jizelle, and at the same time, Ratatosk's—Emil gave him a hastily look as he half-stood on his place.

Before he could reach Jizelle, a red light flooded from the door, engulfing everything in sight. Emil screamed in anticipation, but felt no pain. He stretched his arms out against the blindness, and felt warmth against his fingertips.

As the red drained away, he found himself on his knees, his hands resting against a body.

A body he did not recognize, but a living one, nonetheless. It lay face down against the dark floor of the chamber, and the shadows of her face had overlapped a large puddle of blood.

He flipped it over. The face, too, was smeared, trailing from beneath her eyelids. Opening one of them, he screamed, and threw himself back.

There was no eye underneath. He daren't check the other.

He looked up. Feet from the door were Ratatosk and Marta, looking beyond. When he poked his head between them, he could just see another body floating towards the fiery abyss.

"JIZELLE!"

* * *

**A/N:** Did I answer anything, or leave you all the more confused? If it's the latter, GREAT, because everything that preceded this was a question arc. When they Cry much? I just hope I gave you the least bit of a disappointment due to cliffhanger.


	20. The Thread Between Ice, Magma and Mercur

**A/N:** The hits come in tall bars on the traffic pages, but lately, only a couple of friends are reviewing. I don't get it.

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twenty: The Thread Between Ice, Magma and Mercury**

Emil silently lay in his bed inside the inn of Sybak. He would not close his eyes, nor would he look away from the green ceiling.

He could not look at Marta who sat by him, or at Ratatosk, a cloaked body who stood by the window, one elbow on the sill.

"Adelle wants to meet with all of us," said Marta. "She's willing to tell us everything, Emil. Whatever we ask."

"About Jizelle?" murmured Emil. "Could we save her…?" He doubted at his own words.

Marta took Emil's hands. "That's why we'll ask after her face is healed."

Ratatosk scoffed at them. "You really think we could still save her after seeing her body drift to Nifleheim? Get real; once you get in, you can't ever get out."

"We can always hope, Ratatosk," said Marta. "If we give up now, then everyone else will follow after you. And that's not the reason why we're here."

Ratatosk growled. "Fine. But if you want _him_ moping around later, then at least give him a bit of space."

"What about you?"

Emil felt Ratatosk's eyes on him. "I'm fine. I'm not some crybaby. But I'm pissed as hell that Jizelle had to—"

"Don't say any more," Emil spoke, turning his head to Ratatosk. "Don't you say any more."

Ratatosk huffed and looked away.

* * *

Adelle had sat within a circle, her eyes clad behind a dark cloth. She raised a hand to herself, "My name is Laure-Adeline Monique Victorine Cendrillon de Corbière. My family had a title of Marquis passed down to its men for several generations; its current bearer is my brother, Adolfe. I was otherwise known as the Lady Adeline, and because of that title, I was recommended as a courtier to the King of Tethe'alla."

Zelose fingered with his chin, "Yes, yes, I remember seeing you in parties…your ears were always covered. And I've also heard of elven nobles, but they possessed no real authority or territory."

"Everyone shared in the land," answered Hayden. "The early history of Heimdall stated that each resident was of aristocratic nature. The title of Marquis de Corbière is one of the few surviving now, only to prove history then. Adolfe, however, wanted to make full use of that title after his father passed on, and got his chance when his sister was sent away."

"What did you do at court?" asked Raine.

"I sang," Adelle said. "His Majesty the King asked me to sing for his most social occasions." And she added, more like an afterthought, "Maybe because I was good at impromptu compositions."

"Not that we needed to know," grumbled Ratatosk, and Lloyd elbowed his chest. "Hey, what was that for?"

"You needn't be impolite," said Regal. Turning back to Adelle, "We apologize for his impatience."

"No need," Adelle said in a sympathetic tone, "he knows what I feel. He's been through it, too." Before anyone could remark, she continued, "I first met Jizelle as a little sphere in a dream. She asked how I got to where she was, and that I should leave at once. What got me curious about her was her similar stand as a courtier, though I cautioned myself. I was made to leave then, but I kept coming back. She had no name, and no history, except her as a floating spirit since birth. I called her Jizelle, and I told her my story. When she wanted to see my world, I agreed.

"I told no one of my peculiar friend in the dream world. Jizelle told me what it really was, though…an alcove for souls without bodies. They were to serve the court of Hela, a high-ranking demon, in that state. If not interfered with, they would live in any world but that little alcove and under the rule of an unwarranted queen. I pitied her, naturally, but I did not make any definite decision until I met Ran.

Emil, who stood beside Ratatosk as they listened, felt his grimace. He stopped himself from asking; it was not the time for a disruption.

"I relied on Jizelle's judgment and trusted Ran. She told me that Hela knew of my activities, and that's where I first learned how sensitive demons could be to elven blood. I began considering the freedom of those souls, and Ran expressed the same desire, but could only do so much. She considered me strong enough to host one soul and live without a body, and so my task began with that."

"That's one side of a story I thought I'd never known," said Sheena.

Adelle smiled, and cleared her throat. "I had chosen Jizelle to occupy my body. Jizelle was meant to 'make up for what I'd lived. I lived sixteen years; therefore she shall live sixteen years. I was also required to return to my birthplace, so I left the King's court, warning him of the nature of my return."

"Was that why His Majesty had convinced the citizens of Meltokio not to put blame on Jizelle when the city was attacked?" asked Presea.

"On a reasonable basis," said Adelle. "I honestly did not expect how Hayden would react to the situation. We had an arranged marriage, but we believed in it, nonetheless." She gave Hayden a little smile, and he looked away. "…I never told him. The moment Jizelle was reborn in my body, he suspected her of harming me. Jizelle could only defend herself against such violence."

"Why wouldn't Jizelle tell him?" asked Marta. "Tell us? Everything would've been fine! We could've pulled it through."

"If I told anyone, word would undoubtedly reach Hela," said Adelle. "Hiding from her is not much, but it was the only head start we both had. She was to occupy my body for six years…I served in her world for the same time."

"But we were safe in entering that place," said Lloyd. "Emil, Marta and I—we were in no danger!"

Adelle shook her head. "You were well away from danger. When Hela found out, she banished me into another world—one that had its own heart and sense and will. I began with only a wasteland. But little by little, it strived to give me a home. I had my tower, my room, my tea set, my facet—" she cupped her hands over an invisible pet. "That world was kind enough to accommodate me…but I had to take care of everything else. That was my challenge from Hela."

"Challenge?" repeated Genis. "You mean if you win, she'll release the imprisoned souls?"

"Possibly. But…" Adelle's fists tightened. "I wonder how they're doing…since I'd gone. Did I fail them? Did I fail Ran?"

The words from the meeting at the World Tree suddenly flashed in Emil's mind, _"She's hurt…One for another, yet I leave her to suffer. Selfish! None of them must know! I will never allow it!"_

"What are you trying to mask, then?" Emil began. Adelle slowly turned to him. "Who shouldn't know what? Who's to know that you vanished? Who's to say that you failed?"

He felt a darkness swelling around her, like a barrier. "Without considering, I had already failed to meet the mark," she said in a grave tone. "The trade had been prematurely done. Jizelle had, for once, preferred the safety of the alcove than the real world. I can't blame her for choosing to protect us, but it does not change the fact that our plan failed." She rose from her seat, and turned to Hayden, wherein Emil remembered that evles can see mana.

"Your sword," Adelle said to Hayden.

"What for?"

"Compensation."

Hayden's eyes widened at this, and stepped back. "…No."

Adelle's brows furrowed. "Give me your sword, Hayden."

"Not if you plan to kill yourself—"

"You couldn't believe that I was dead," Adelle growled as she advanced on Hayden. "She tells me, Hayden. You treated her like an animal, set your dogs on her, accused her of murder, _refused_ to listen to her testimony!" At r_efused_, she thrust her arm aside, toppling a vase over. Fragments scratched her legs and minimal amounts of blood streamed along them.

"I'll swear on any name to atone for it!" Hayden held his sword well away from Adelle's reach. "Please, would you just—"

"I'll have you executed!" Adelle shouted, and took hold of Hayden's chain mail. "I'll strip you bare, disgrace you, send you to suffer all the penalties hell will provide!" She shook and tugged at his armor, attempting to tear it off of him. They reached a wall, and she mounted one foot against it, and pulled as strongly as she could manage. "You can even be Hela's special assistant, if you like."

"Adelle, no!" Marta stepped forward, until Zelos put his arm in her way. "Zelos! If this continues, they'll—"

"It's a battle between nobles and lovers," explained Regal. "Added that their kind was isolated from ours, we cannot interfere without proper knowledge of their background."

They watched in silence as Hayden pushed himself away from the wall and pin Adelle down onto the floor, wary of the shattered porcelain nearby. Adelle took careful hold of his blade, and guided it along her body. She laughed, "You clamored to everyone that I was killed. If people saw me alive, you'd be the laughingstock of the century. How about proving yourself now? Kill me, Hayden."

"I can't," breathed Hayden. "I won't kill you."

"Elves never say they _can't_. You know the difference between _can_ and _will_. You know how those words affect us."

"I know, _I know!_" Hayden pulled the sword away from Adelle and tossed it away before pulling his cheek against his. "You say capability is an illusion. Maybe it is—because we can choose what we want. And I choose not to kill you."

He pulled both them to their knees before embracing her again, "I was so wrong, _Adelle…_ I was wrong from the start, and I was too stubborn to see it. I thought I was avenging you, but you would have never wanted that. Blame me for everything, because you did not fail anything. I failed _you_."

Hayden hid his face against Adelle's shoulder, his back trembling as he wept. Adelle exchanged looks with Emil as she whispered, "That's more than enough. I forgive you."

* * *

**A/N:** For the sappiness, blame my groggy obsession. I began this morning and stopped, then was overwhelmed by a desire to finish it today. Oh, well, Hayden joins the party? …Okay, that was a sick joke, I know.


	21. Sweets in Crystals

**A/N:** Finally, twenty chapters taken off my back. So lazy. Before I knew it, this fic had become a huge dump of imagination and ambiguities and little light flashes. In other words, garbage. Is there any way for me to fix it again?

Awfully short update as I figure that last question out.

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Sweets in Crystals**

"You said there was no god."

"Excuse me?"

"You told Hela that there is no god for me and Jizelle," Adelle emphasized, her smiling face bowing at the table. Across it sat Emil, who'd personally asked for a proper, private, vis-à-vis conversation, as they were to have in the latter's dreams.

"But I haven't talked to Hela," Emil protested.

"You have," Adelle insisted. "She disguised herself as both of us the last time you dreamt."

Emil had immediately remembered. The spiteful impostor who'd tried to play with his mind…"How was Hela able to—"

"She'd come to reclaim the world that I had left," said Adelle. "I was gone by then; Jizelle was leading me out."

"Leading?"

"Back to this world." Adelle shrugged, and brought a hand over her blindfold. "You must be curious about this."

"I know why it's there, though," Emil said with a sickly note that came out more offensive than not. "I'm sorry—"

From the cloth, Adelle brought her hand back to the table, near the saucer that had been filled with crackers, though untouched. "No need. It wasn't something I can prevent. Not if it was my nose or my hands or my breast, either."

Emil stole a look at Adelle's chest: large, and attractive; he daren't say there were a treat to any undignified man. He'd also bore the shame of wishing Marta's breasts should've been bigger.

He heard her chuckle, "You're _that_ dissatisfied?"

"That's not it!" Emil argued, and Adelle flashed her white palm to end the discussion. He asked, then, "Was that what you meant by 'trade' ? Were your eyes really the price for…"

"That's right…in a sense. The traded needed only _one_ eye; the other I had given to Jizelle. She needed to take some flesh to return with, see. It's for preventing her from returning to the form she was born with."

"And that helps, because…"

"She could not revert. She could not step down for Hela's sake." Her ears, long and pointed backwards, then perked. It was a particularly odd thing to watch. "Chromahela was named after her, you know."

Emil distracted himself by taking a cracker and feeding himself. "Really?" he asked, his mouth half-full.

"Chromahela is found in magma, where Hela's supposed to reside," said Adelle, who'd also bit off a piece of another cracker. "I'd seen it myself. An audience hall that floated on top of magma, like a little island. The ceiling was made of stalactites and was covered in smoke. And Hela herself…" She gave a long sigh.

A knock came on the door, followed by Genis's voice. "There's something for Adelle."

Adelle nibbled at the cracker before rising. "We can continue in the morning, Emil. I'll be ready to travel by then."

"Where do we take you?" he asked.

"Meltokio would be nice," she answered with a light smile. "I'd love to know how lively court is. But," she put a finger to her lips, "we won't use the main entrance."

* * *

Emil entered the bedroom to find Marta sitting up. He immediately sat by her side and took her hands. "Are you okay?" She gave a slight nod, diverting her eyes away from him. He ran one palm up her arm and to her back, patting it softly. "Marta, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Marta murmured, "nothing's…wrong."

"Yes, there is." Emil pulled her figure against his, allowing her head to rest against his neck. "I know there is. You wouldn't be waiting like this if there wasn't—"

"What's wrong with waiting?"she asked. Emil felt moistness on his neck, and began to stroke her hair. "What's wrong with staying up and waiting for you to come back?"

"Where did you think I was?"

"With Adelle, talking about—" Marta left Emil's hold. "It's always Jizelle for you now. Never me. _Never…_"

"That isn't true!" Emil thrust forward and fell over her, trapping her against the bed. He had the primal instinct to kiss her, but this subsided when he saw her face tilted away. Instead, he rolled to her side and faced her, caressing her hair with his fingers. "Look…I want you to know, somehow…I see Jizelle as a chance I'd missed…for her to become my mom. That's how I see her; a mom." He leaned to rub his forehead against her. "So please…don't think that she's taken your place. I love you, and I know you know that."

He ended by rolling to his side with his head still against hers. She was in tears, but had kept silent. Taking his hand, she nodded and nestled against his shoulders. The tears dried around her eyes as she fell asleep.

Emil followed as he closed his eyes, wrapped an arm round her back and buried his lips into her hair.


	22. Into the Garnet Skies

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Into the Garnet Skies**

Adelle stood before the rest of them, cloaked in silver velvet with her cuffs, neckline, and hem lined with a thick padding of fur. The torso was trimmed with red silk, and her boots were black with white shoe lacing. She turned around, over and over, her skirt lifting to discover more layers underneath. When she stopped, she gave a long sigh. "Adolfe, I ought to…"

"Adelle," said Presea, "what are those?"

"Traveling robes," answered Adelle, "but they make me look like I'm living in Flanoir. And the colors are horrifyingly bland. The princess will never accept me back in these."

"Couldn't you find better clothes?" asked Sheena.

"My brother's gift." Adelle reached behind her and grabbed a set of earmuffs. "Oh, Adolfe, really! Such common sense is terrible coming from you!" she complained to no one in particular.

Emil tossed a quick glance at Hayden, who was smiling at her. He sighed, _So he's one of us now._

"I still don't get it, though," Colette crossed her arms. "How does bringing you back to court save Jizelle?"

"His Majesty knows people. He holds so much precious information that you need to trade double for obtaining it. But he's liberal. If you give him gifts at your arrival, he'll gladly take that as a trade."

"What do you think he knows?" asked Lloyd.

"A lead on how to get to Jizelle…_physically_," she emphasized. "If we knew, we'll all go. Together."

"Tch," Ratatosk scoffed. "You don't need to. I can get her by myself."

The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at him. Him, and his cocky face at Adelle.

Richter and Hayden moved at the same time, but it was the former who'd grabbed Ratatosk's cuff and raised his feet off the ground. Ratatosk drew his sword, and so did Zelos. He struck the helm of Ratatosk's sword and it clanged against the floor. Then he aimed his sword tip to Richter, "Enough!"

"How dare you!" growled Ratatosk, "_both_ of you!"

"The House of Wilder _is_ subject only to the royal family, after all," Marta remarked blankly. Emil gave her a hard look, and she stared right back. "What's wrong?"

Emil shook his head. "Nothing…Well, actually, I'm glad."

"That's _just_ like you," Ratatosk muttered, and Zelos drew his sword away from Richter and pulled it even closer to Ratatosk's neck. "What's there to be happy about? Jizelle's gone, we're all stuck at what to do, and even Marta doubts your love. What the _hell_ is wrong with you?"

"What the hell is wrong with _you_?" Genis scowled. "But Emil…what _are_ you so glad about?"

The answer came out simpler that he'd assumed. "Because we still have hope." He turned to Marta and took her hands. "You know that, of all people. You saved my life."

Marta shook her head. "Jizelle did."

"She never could have done it alone," said Emil.

"No, she didn't," agreed Regal. "We all helped out. She had truly been one of us. We can no longer leave her alone."

"Regal's right," said Sheena. "We're not abandoning Jizelle. There's at least one path into every location, and if the Mizuho clan doesn't know about it, someone in Meltokio is bound to."

Richter loosened his grip on Ratatosk, and Adelle murmured, "What in Martel's name…"

They all turned to her as she sat on a couch, plainly. "This all began with just me and Ran. I never wanted to get anyone else involved. And sixteen years later, there Sylvaranti, Tethe'allans, commoners, nobility, humans, half-elves, Chosens and a Summon Spirit all wanting to—" she dramatically waved her arm "—rescue Jizelle from the demon realm."

"Many changes come with sixteen years," said Hayden.

"And the plan isn't going well," Adelle said as she rubbed her fingers against a temple. "It's sinking into me, don't worry. And, Summon Spirit—"

"—Ratatosk."

"Yes, I think that was what your sister told me your name was."

"Did she confuse it with any others?" Ratatosk grumbled.

"Back up!" cried Genis. "Ratatosk has a _sister_?"

"Haven't I mentioned?" said Adelle. "Ran: older, calmer, mischievous." She exchanged looks with Marta, Emil, and Lloyd. "You've met her; she was the one who passed you on to me."

Ratatosk seized Emil's scarf. "_You met my sister?_"

"I swear, she said nothing about you!"

"Enough, already!" said Lloyd. "If he has an older sister, then good; because _somebody_ has to keep him in check."

"What the—" Marta's palm swept across Ratatosk's cheek, and he kept his lips closed.

Adelle got up once more, and returned Ratatosk's previous scowl at him. "You can't tell me that this _beast_ is in love with Jizelle." And she strode off in a way that still reminded Emil of Jizelle: the spite that she refused to show in Flanoir.

**~SKIT: The Most Immature~**

Raine: *sigh*

Regal: Thank goodness.

Genis: You're joking, right? C'mon, Adelle just took off!

Regal: I meant that it was a relief that somebody scolded Ratatosk.

Raine: He's so immature. Seeing him like made me want to cast a good immobilizing spell on him.

Lloyd: A silencer's better.

Presea: I'll only be following orders when you tell me to smash him.

Zelos: Jeez, the guy's exaggerating. He's this drama queen who won't stop whining about how he wants to save his Juliet.

Sheena: And how everything else matters less.

Colette: Eh…could we stop now? He might hear…

"_Green finch and linnet bird, nightingale, blackbird, how is it you sing?_" Adelle's voice echoed from the hall, and Emil and Marta stopped before the door that led into her room. "_How can you jubilate sitting in cages, never taking wing?_"

"Her voice wasn't a dream," said Marta. "It's really, really special."

"It's really, really high," added Emil. "To think that kind of voice would come out from a girl her age…"

Marta cleared her throat, "She's thirty-two years old."

Emil smiled weakly, "Yes…thirty-two. It almost hurts to disturb her." Nonetheless, he knocked.

"Enter," was the immediate reply, though it was not female. Emil opened the door, and found Hayden sitting on the nearest couch, while Adelle stepped away from the carpet.

"We're sorry to disturb your song, Adelle," said Marta.

"I was getting to the hard part, so you saved me," Adelle admitted sheepishly. "What is it?"

"Please don't take it hard on Ratatosk," said Marta. "He's a bit impatient, but he could be a really kind person, too."

"I didn't call him a beast because he was impatient," said Adelle. "He was violent, heartless, provoking…he's awful."

"He was only ever kind to Marta," said Emil, "so I can totally agree—ow!" He clutched his torso where Marta jabbed it. "But…what matters is that he _can_ be kind. I mean, he was hospitable enough to Jizelle when she sees him in the Ginnungagap."

"The sad thing is that he'd fallen in love," said Adelle. "I can imagine the squalls she had with that human half-elf, but _him_? If I'd been her mother, I'll send _him_ away."

"The human's no longer in the picture," said Hayden. "But you, boy, have an uncanny resemblance to that summon spirit."

"And we don't need to hear why, Hayden," Adelle raised her voice. "I think they're a couple, so they're no competition. I reckon they'll both want a mother figure in Jizelle." And softer, "Speaking of mother…"

Emil avoided Hayden's eyes as he nodded. "We're saving her, right?"

"Oh, of course we will," said Adelle, "but don't get too frustrated. She can make a hardhead out of herself, and she doesn't want us coming after her out of desperation. Firstly, we have to figure out how to communicate with her, and thankfully, we won't be needing that information from His Majesty."

"You've already got a lead?" asked Marta.

"I've known since she told me," Adelle answered with a little smile. "The first thing Jizelle had to do with my body was head to Mizuho and meet my mother—our mother."

"You don't mean…"

"Mameha, of course. I'm no fool to give Jizelle to another woman. Mother had always been my first choice."


	23. Missing Beat

**A/N:** I'd forgotten to add the disclaimer for Adelle's song in the last chapter. _Green Finch and Linnet Bird_ belongs to Stephen Soundheim and was sung in Sweeney Todd adaptations. And yes, took away my dividers. And that means I am forced to revise while the story isn't over yet.

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Missing Beat**

Emil showed Ratatosk his fist. "We thought you'd changed."

Ratatosk raised his chin. "Hmph. Jizelle and I were only covering each other's backs. She said that if I did, everything will be fine."

"But Mameha confirmed that you weren't going to destroy the humans and half-elves!" said Sheena. "You allowed us to get Emil back. And yet why are you so—"

"She'll hate me!" Ratatosk drew his sword. "No…she hates me now! _I_ killed Aster, _I_ took his form, _I_ allowed…ugh! I allowed _Emil_ to die, and _I_ can't restore the balance of mana! She's hated me for everything that I'd done and nothing I ever do to make up for it pleases her!"

Marta stretched her hand to him. "Ratatosk—"

"GET AWAY, YOU BITCH!" Ratatosk swung the dull blade of his sword at her and threw her onto her calves. "You don't know anything. None of you do! From the moment I met Jizelle, years before any of this happened…all I _wanted_…"

"Calm down, Ratatosk," Regal said as Emil went to lift Marta onto her feet. "If you have to say something to us, don't say it in way that could anger Jizelle."

"LIKE SHE WOULD EVEN LISTEN!" With a roar, he hurled his sword at the wall, and it fell with a _clash_. He sank to his knees, head bowed. "I loved her, dammit! I don't care what the rest of you think, but I _loved_ her! It wasn't right, it was supposed to happen, but it was real! She ignored me, and she kept blaming me! I wanted to satisfy her, but all I end up doing is…" He banged his fist against the floor.

"Richter, no!" Emil grabbed Richter's arm as he kicked Ratatosk's torso and the latter's back sprawled over the floor. "That wasn't necessary!"

"You sick bastard!" shouted Richter. "Don't you dare talk to us about love! It's impossible for a demon like you to love _anyone_! Go to Nifleheim with her if you want to violate her so badly!"

Ratatosk staggered to his feet, grabbing his left shoulder as a bruise grew upon it. "What did you just say?"

"That's all you want from her, isn't it? Her body."

"Are you _sick_?! No summon spirit would sleep with a mortal!"

Richter folded his arms. "I've never heard of a summon spirit falling in love with a mortal, either."

Ratatosk exposed his teeth in a snarl, and strode past him and everyone else in the room. "…If you don't want me around, I can always go back in the Ginnungagap. For Jizelle's sake, I chose not to destroy you…but I can always abandon the mana flow and the door if it means that I can save her!"

"We're sorry, Ratatosk, for not seeing things your way," Emil replied earnestly. "It's true that we were only making assumptions about you, but we were so sure of them that we never bothered to ask. Mortals can be very selfish, and they can make mistakes. But you're no God, and as a part of you, neither am I! You can make mistakes just as likely as the rest of the mortals do! Having responsibilities like mana and the door to Niflheim makes you renowned and respected, and feared! That isn't supposed to be! There's no reason for you to give us fear of your power if we could suppress it so easily!"

"…The door wasn't supposed to be my job to begin with," Ratatosk said. "It had always been Ran's. The Giant Kharlan Tree was destroyed, and my whorish sister saw it as an opportunity to keep me stuck at her door while she goes roaming the world as a free spirit."

"You speak as if there is no hope of changing that," said Regal.

"I haven't seen her since. But when I do, I wouldn't care if she's my sister; I'll show her my wrath all the same."

"That's not good," Colette remarked.

"Like you care."

"You're doing it again," said Presea.

"Tch. You're one to talk." As Ratatosk passed through the door, Adelle's form appeared beyond the entrance. Emil watched as Ratatosk stole a glance at her, while she stared through him, entering the room and locking the door behind her.

"I thought I should apologize," she said. "Forgive me for dragging you all into this mess. I know it must be very inconvenient—"

"Nah," Zelos waved his hand. "Besides, you prim little hottie, _we're_ not the ones you should be apologizing to."

"You're…not?"

"You can still detect mana, correct?" asked Raine. "Didn't you see Ratatosk passing by?"

"Oh…" Adelle bowed her head, her cheeks reddening. "I ignored him…as completely as I could."

"We can't blame you for that," said Lloyd. "Ratatosk is not the most approachable of Summon Spirits."

"Exactly," said Adelle. "What's the point of apologizing when he wouldn't listen?" She began pacing the room with brisk steps, turning her heels sharply back and forth. "Whatever he's thinking, he will not be able to do this on his own. Whether he likes it or not, either he has to come with us, or return to his responsibilities." She turned to Emil. "You've given the door a seal. Is it not your next obligation to regenerate the power of the cores? That cannot be achieved within the demonic realm."

"I _am_ creating pacts with monsters," said Emil. "And I place them in the Katz' care. But…I don't know which of the Centurions need more power or which of them has enough."

"If Ratatosk were to come along, then he would tell us," said Marta, "I think."

"When I said that he and I went through the same thing, I thought that I could tolerate his temper," said Adelle. "Now, I couldn't bear listening to him alone. I am so ashamed…"

"You're not to blame," said Colette. "In fact, I believe that he's listening right outside with tears welling up in his eyes."

Lloyd sighed. "You sure have your own way with things, don't you, Colette?"

"Anyway, don't try to bring her spirits down," Sheena finally spoke since Ratatosk left. "If nobody else is going to complain about Ratatosk, could we head to Meltokio, now?"

"We're entering through Cape Fortress," said Adelle. "There's a secret tunnel between Cape Fortress and Meltokio built by the royal family as an emergency escape route for the citizens."

"Cape Fortress…" repeated Emil, and he remembered the discussion in Mizuho "I heard that Jizelle had business in Cape Fortress, but…how could she have been in Sylvarant before the Journey of World Regeneration?"

"The Otherworldly gate, possibly," said Raine. "We've done it ourselves."

"Do you think the gate can take us to wherever Jizelle is, too?"

"We're not welcome in her prison," Raine answered. "It's very dangerous to appear in front of the enemy, even with all our strength combined. I can imagine it as a place wherein we should avoid battle as much as possible."

"You've been there, haven't you, Adelle?" asked Genis.

She nodded. "There is no safe place. We can only head straight for the Palace of Admirals and break Jizelle out as fast as we can."

"The Palace of Admirals?" repeated Presea. "Why do they call it that?"

"Maybe because everyone who's in there is an admiral," suggested Colette.

"Jizelle's there, and she's no admiral," said Zelos. "She looks more like a Captain of the Royal Guard to me."

"She's just a courtier," said Adelle. "I honestly don't know why Hela called it the Palace of Admirals, but while she is head, Jizelle and the others subject to her are only balls that serve as courtiers. But with the flesh I had given her…" she placed a hand over one eyelid, "she might have gotten a power that Hela cannot confiscate from her."

"How much power?" asked Lloyd.

"Not much at all. It could take her years before she can surpass Hela, and I don't think Hela's taking any chances, either. That's why I wanted to get her out so badly, yet I'm not the slightest prepared for what's in there."

"But you've _been _there before, haven't you?" Richter repeated with much impatience. "_I've_ made pacts with demons, and—"

"It's that hopeless a place…isn't it?" said Presea, wearing what was closest to a pitiful face. She turned to Richter. "Have you felt any sort of despair while making pacts with a demon?"

"What would you know about it?" Richter spat. "…You got dragged into this, a _girl_ who isn't supposed to be in any of this…"

"Watch it! Presea's a lot more than just a girl!" Genis said with a reprimanding tone. "You don't know what she's been through, and I don't know what you've been through, either! But it doesn't matter right now!"

"Genis, don't start a fight," said Raine, and to Richter, "Please excuse him."

"He's right. It doesn't matter. Sorry."

"You're not prepared, but we know where we're supposed to go, right?" said Colette. "To Cape Fortress!"

"Not staying for any unnecessary conversation, thank you," Zelos said as he rose from the couch. "We've got a chick to save!"

"…Has he…" Adelle began, "has Ratatosk…ever apologized?"

"Yes," said Marta, "I fought with him once."

Adelle went and took Marta's hands. "How did he say it? Oh, and please do be careful with your answer. For you see, hearing his sincere apology may be different from how you want him to apologize. It's what makes forgiving so difficult."

* * *

**~SKIT: From Cheer to…~**

Lloyd: Strange…

Emil: Hmm? What is?

Lloyd: When we first met Adelle, she always laughing. And now I don't hear it.

Marta: You expect her to laugh when she's caught in a dead end at her plan?

Lloyd: No! It's just…she's gone pretty solemn, hasn't she? And her speech wasn't so formal…well, not _obviously_ formal, at least.

Emil: She had a moment like that back when we met her. Hayden's death. The facet.

Lloyd: I guess…heh, it's odd how I could be so curious about her attitude at a time like this.

Marta: That's natural. She's just about to travel with us.

Emil: Everybody else must have their doubts, too, Lloyd.

Lloyd: Yeah, thanks for not leaving me out.

Zelos: Hey, can't you let me in on what you're talking about?

Lloyd: It's nothing, Zelos, honest.

* * *

**~SKIT: Royal Expectancy~**

Zelos: Honestly, Adelle, my princess, I think you look delectable.

Marta: 'Honestly'…?

Adelle: Thank you very much, Chosen.

Zelos: Promise me you'll remember my face when His Majesty holds a party, alright?

Adelle: Yours is the face of a god, Master Wilder; none can forget it and none can insult it.

Zelos: Ha ha! See that? She's responding pretty well!

Regal: It's called wit, and you should know that, Zelos, of all people.

Sheena: He never utilizes it, though. It's always straight to the flattery with him.

Adelle: *blushes* Your…your Grace!

Regal: Are you referring to me, Adelle?

Adelle: Your Grace, Duke Bryant…you've grown so stunningly tall!

Regal: That's a bit direct, isn't it? But I have to remind you that we're not in court. I respect you now as an ally and friend, and have as much right to call me Regal as everyone in this room does.

Adelle: Your Grace…

Sheena: How much do you know about her, Regal?

Regal: Adelle is three years younger than I, and I felt very comfortable speaking with her. But she had always been very tense…

Adelle: I…I always thought…that your Grace was…!

Marta: Ah, you had a crush on Regal, didn't you?

Regal: Was that so?

Adelle: Well…your Grace was intelligent, and kind, and you were always happy to see me, and you always listened so carefully when I speak…

Regal: Such was the honor that I had given to whom I thought was the greatest songstress of my time.

Zelos: And you just said that this wasn't court.

* * *

**~SKIT: The meaning of 'Regal'~**

Emil: Adelle, about you and Hayden…

Adelle: Yes?

Emil: You said you had an arranged marriage. Jizelle said that he proposed to you the night before you brought her to life. Which one is true?

Adelle: Both. We didn't say anything at first about the marriage because we found out we were meant to marry, after all. Hayden proposed to me for himself so he could show me that we weren't just obliging.

Emil: And you were saying you like Regal back then!

Adelle: I don't think I ever betrayed Hayden. I've always thought of Regal to be more like Adolfe.

Emil: How can you actually describe Adolfe?

Adelle: Just like Regal. *giggle*

Emil: You're laughing! That's great!

Adelle: I never imagined being able to laugh so openly in this world. I'm sorry if you felt uneasy because of it.

Emil: It's okay. I know you didn't mean to do it.

Adelle: Adolfe has his tendencies to become an insensitive dolt once in a while, but Hayden's always there to straighten him out. Now that I mentioned it, it can be summarized that 'Regal' can accommodate both of them.

Emil: It's 'Regal' after all. I don't think he deserves anyone's hate.

* * *

"I am very, very sorry for my rudeness," Adelle said to Ratatosk, whose back was turned to her. "I should not have called you a beast."

"It's fine," he answered. "That's all I ever was."

"You can't be," Adelle protested. "You were Jizelle's friend."

He turned around at her words. "I wish I could believe that. I really do."

It was the first time Emil could feel his regret. "She told us you were," he began, and Ratatosk's eyes met his, too tired to look angry. "You were…very close friends, she said. But she thought that instead of just satisfying her, you wanted all her attention pointed at you."

"Any girl would hate that," Sheen remarked. "No offense, Ratatosk. We were the idiots who thought that you were wrong at the last minute."

Ratatosk blinked twice, and Emil could see him fighting his disbelief. "…Was it because I lashed out?"

"Partly, yes," Genis answered immediately. "No one will approve of you arguing the way you did."

"Please don't go Ratatosk," implored Colette. "Please don't go back by yourself. We need you on our side. We can't save Jizelle without you."

"It's stupid to fight each other if we have a similar goal," said Lloyd. "I learned that when we fought over the Centurions' cores. I was so personal with my objectives and I kept beating myself up for it. Though I got the job done, it wasn't in the best way. And I'm willing to try again!"

"I loved you, Ratatosk!" Marta confessed. Ratatosk's mask disintegrated and he stared at Marta with wide eyes. "Once I believed that you were separate from Emil, my feelings fought each other on who I loved the most. And I swear: once we get Jizelle back, I'm going to tell her every reason why she should love you—not as Aster, not as Emil, but as yourself!"

"That doesn't mean I'm setting my own feelings aside, however," Richter stated as he rearranged his glasses.

Ratatosk's grave face warped into a smirk. "Who said I ever gave up on her?"

"So are you coming?" asked Presea.

He set eyes upon all of them as he answered. "…Yeah."

As with Marta, Adelle took Ratatosk's hands. "Thank you so much!"

Emil took Marta's hand. "Your confession was amazing, Marta. Even I was taken aback."

"There had always been something knocking me…I love you like I said I do, but I always felt some guilt because I didn't choose Ratatosk. I mean…you and he were one, after all. Now I'm at peace. If I hadn't chosen you, none of this would've happened. It's not the best thing, but what could have happened if I had chosen Ratatosk would result into something even lesser than this."

"I'm still a bit awkward about it, but I'm so glad to have been loved by you, Marta. I think you would be the only girl who could've led me to all of this, and I'm not sorry for it."

"Nothing makes me feel happier than knowing we've gotten through our love story just fine," Marta said as he tugged gently on Emil's shoulder. "Let's give Jizelle that same chance, too."

"I'll be right beside you every step of the way."


	24. To Exhaust with Love

**A/N:** Have you listened to Akiko Shikata's _Inori no Kanata_? Isn't it a wonderful ending theme for the Tethe'alla chapter?

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: To Exhaust with Love**

"…Why am I wearing this, again?" Emil watched as Ratatosk brought a hand to his scalp and felt the band that gathered his hair.

"We can't let anyone know that you're Ratatosk. Squint your eye a little tighter," Adelle turned to rearrange Ratatosk's lapel, tie, and the glass beneath his left brow. "Forgive me for the monocle; it's the only eyepiece I was ever given."

"Is it always this irritable?"

"If you're not accustomed to it, then yes," said Regal. "It'll be less painful if you wear it often enough."

"Adelle doesn't look bad in her clothes, either," commented Sheena. "She ripped off the sleeves of her cloak, but it's easy to move in. Shows off her muscles, too."

Emil shivered. When Adelle revealed her arms, he understood why her collarbone looked so strong from above the cloak that he had first seen her wear. Her shoulders and arms had hints of muscle along them, and they flexed awkwardly when she moved them. He didn't want to offend Adelle, but her arms were not the most relaxing of sights.

Adelle flushed. "It was my mother's training! She wanted me to have them…"

"Adolfe could have murdered anyone but Mameha for giving you those," Hayden said as he tightened the belt around Adelle's waist. "How do you plan on going home from Meltokio?"

"If I go to Heimdall before I see Mother, Adolfe will stop us," Adelle answered. "He would not be able to do as much _after_."

Watching their mutuality, Emil reminded himself of how Adelle had tried to wrench off Hayden's armor a few days ago. If Adelle's arms weren't sleeved that time, would Emil have seen them straining? Now Hayden stood amongst them in thinner clothing, after dismantling the mail and selling it to the accessory store. _I thought it was just adrenaline, but if she had that strength all along…_

Marta placed both hands onto her cheeks as her eyes glistened. "They're not touchy-feely, but I can feel their affection. After sixteen years of separation, they still manage to control themselves like this…!"

"What were you expecting they'd do?" said Emil. "Isn't it enough that they have the nights to themselves?"

Marta shrugged. "I guess I am a little too curious. But then, why wouldn't I be? I don't know what engaged people are supposed to do."

"Engaged…" Emil didn't wait for Marta to give her point. "I think I'll wait a little more before I propose to you, Marta."

He yelped as Marta cupped his face. "You'll marry me?"

"I told you, didn't I? There's no one else for me. And it came to me that we should marry one day. But…" Emil removed her hands off him and gathered them in his. "I don't think it was a hasty decision, but it _is_ too early…I want to propose to you knowing that I can take care of you properly. And I can't handle that kind of role yet."

"What a man!" Zelos patted Emil from behind, and a grunt escaped his breath. "He's got a point, though. Now's not the time to settle down. We could be risking the world, for all we know."

"Adelle, isn't it about time you removed that cloth?" Genis asked.

"I didn't want to frighten anybody if my eyes suddenly bled," Adelle said guiltily, taking hold of the cloth from behind her ear. "I hope it doesn't look too scary…"

Pulling away the blindfold, she opened her eyes. A blank sea of blue.

"Just like Colette's…" Lloyd murmured. "Back then…"

"They can't reflect light like they can with mana," said Presea. "How well can you see?"

"The same way ever since…I came back. Just shapes. I can't tell any of you by your faces." Her fingers gripped the forehead and cheek above one eye, and tightened. "They're just as I thought they'd come out…only for show. Dead useless."

"But you can see," said Colette. "It's like behind the scenes, where people don't get appreciated for the work they do."

"It's not that I don't appreciate—" Adelle paused. "I can't talk like this… I'll just close them…for now…"

Emil could see her lips trembling as she smiled. "To Cape Fortress, then."

* * *

**~SKIT: What's an Adult?~**

Emil: Adelle's forcing herself to talk optimistically.

Regal: From that, I think she has a very good sense of discipline.

Emil: But Regal, is that okay?

Regal: It may look unfair, and it gets either better or worse from that point. To avoid the latter, her immediate environment should not aggravate the situation with pessimism.

Emil: I don't follow…

Raine: It means that when someone like Adelle holds back a complaint, we'll have to manipulate the circumstances so nothing bad has to happen.

Regal: This is all because nobody has the right to complain or blame. As an adult, Adelle understands that. Instead of complaining, one must stand for one's own rights in society.

Emil: Wow…she looks younger than me, but she's actually twice as older…she looks defenseless, but she's pretty strong. And on top of that, she's very nice.

Regal: She gave spectacular performances as I remember, yet it always surprises me at how modest she could be when socializing. Her wit was not fueled by pride, but enthusiasm.

Raine: It helps that you know more about her than we do, Regal.

Regal: I'm just sharing my opinions about her. It doesn't necessarily mean that I know more.

* * *

**~SKIT: Part of Us~**

Emil: Richter…are you okay? You haven't spoken at all.

Richter: Hm? I'm fine. There's just nothing I need to talk about.

Emil: Is something bothering you? Is it Cape Fortress?

Richter: …I fought you in that place.

Emil: I remember…though vaguely. Ratatosk had been in control.

Richter: I met Jizelle there, and I fought with her, too.

Emil: Y-you did? Why?

Richter: There was a place there that she didn't want me to enter. Not at any cost. Maybe it had been that tunnel connected to Meltokio…the Vanguard could have used it.

Emil: So she could have been protecting Meltokio. By herself…I know how she feels, but…why did she have to be so lonely…? I mean, even we were together…sometimes.

Richter: Well…she didn't belong anywhere. She wasn't a human, and she wasn't a half-elf. She isn't even an elf.

Emil: She belongs with us! It was clear to see, even for a short while! She's a part of us, too!

Richter: …Don't get angry. I believe you. She used to be part of group before: Aster and mine. We'd always been together, and we hadn't realized how close we were to her until the three of us were torn away from each other.

Emil: Richter…

Richter: I haven't told this to anyone yet. Remember the flowers you brought in Altamira? I've already registered the flower's name as 'aster,' and one day, I'll take Jizelle on a date with those flowers.

Emil: Really? Wow, I never thought you'd be the type to date women.

Richter: That's because Jizelle's the only woman I'd planned on dating. And don't tell Ratatosk.

Ratatosk: Too late. I heard everything.

Emil: R-Ratatosk!

Richter: Ggh…! You're supposed to be in the back! How did you get here?

Ratatosk: I'm not picking a fight!

Richter: Then don't use that tone! Don't use it on anyone!

Adelle: I deliberately set them apart so we could avoid this nonsense…

* * *

**~SKIT: The Power of Wit~**

Adelle: There's something I'd like to ask the two of you.

Richter and Ratatosk: What?

Adelle: Why do you love Jizelle?

Richter and Ratatosk: That's easy.

Ratatosk: She was playing hard to get.

Richter: She was approachable.

Ratatosk: She's cold and aggressive.

Richter: She fears her own guilt.

Ratatosk: She was someone I respected.

Richter: She was someone I wanted to protect.

Genis: Whoa…they even have different reasons!

Presea: It comes with different circumstances. We must respect these reasons as part of a person's character.

Genis: P-P-Pre-Presea…

Presea: Praise isn't necessary. Once you grow up and go through the same thing, you'd find out for yourself, too. What about you, Adelle? Why do you love her?

Adelle: She's easy to figure out.

Richter: Huh?

Ratatosk: N…no she's not!

Adelle: Wonderful! You've agreed on something!

Zelos: Wasn't that a shrewd little move!

Regal: It's been sixteen years, yet your wit is still remarkable.

Colette: Wh-what? I really don't understand what just happened…

Lloyd: It's alright, Colette. You don't need to talk like them. Your speech is special, too.

Sheena: He's right, Colette! Just leave the wit to the nobles and keep doing your own thing.

Colette: B-but I never said anything…!

Adelle: *whispering* Neither of you are wrong.

Ratatosk: Hm…which is her true face?

Richter: And to whom does she show it?

Richter and Ratatosk: That'll be interesting to find out.

Colette, Genis, Lloyd, Sheena, and Zelos: Let's save her first!

* * *

"Ugh!" Zelos held a glove to his nose as he entered the walls of Cape Fortress. "This place is stuffier than ever!"

"I know a room where drafts blow from underground," said Adelle. "It was built to give rest to any person using the tunnels."

"However, we can't use it for too long," Raine said as she looked up. "It's already gotten dark."

Emil looked up to see the crescent moon grinning back at them from a dimming sky. "There aren't any stars tonight…"

"There must be a lot of clouds…" said Genis. "Let's hope it doesn't rain, or the place will be mustier than ever."

"We just have to move fast," said Lloyd. "Which way, Adelle—huh?"

Adelle was already meters away, her knees bent low, one hand reaching for an object on the floor. Then she rose, and gave those behind her a wide beam. "It looks like Jizelle left us something, after all."

"What do you mean?" Emil asked as they approached her.

Adelle held the object towards the group: a bracelet. "This was mine," she explained, "and I can see more keepsakes ahead. She must be leading us to her treasury!"

"Treasury?" reprised Marta. "I never knew she had a treasury."

They began to walk on, and Adelle spoke eagerly, "She told me we would drop by it. She needed a place to store all her spoils. Her monsters guard it, too."

"So that's why there'd been so many monsters lurking in this place," said Richter. "We—the Vanguard—gave up on tightening security and were left to barricade the areas they were not allowed to enter."

"It's her treasury, and she keeps _your_ treasure?" Colette asked Adelle. "Wow, she must be entrusting it to you!"

"…Entrust? No, I wouldn't believe it," Adelle said, a little more quietly. "Perhaps it's easier to imagine that there had been a shrine in that treasury, with one of my portraits hung over it."

"She did _steal_ a portrait," said Hayden. "I'd heard from Adolfe."

"So it's like a complex?" asked Sheena.

"If she had been a man, you would've called it love, I suppose," Adelle sighed. "Or…the closest she could feel to it. I can't blame her. I'd been her first friend, after all."

A few more moments, they reached the staircase that would lead them to the dead end. "There aren't any monsters," commented Genis. "Are you sure they're guarding the treasury?"

"You can't see them," said Adelle, and she pointed to a wall, "but there's actually a seal there. Once it's broken, it leads to the tunnels, and to the treasury."

"So how will you break it?" asked Presea.

"I haven't seen that kind of circle," Hayden told Adelle, leaving everyone clueless.

"It had been derived from Adolfe's." As Adelle approached a seemingly ordinary wall, Regal interrupted, "How could you fight without an Exsphere?"

"…Oh, yes, I never fought in Meltokio," said Adelle. "I've seen Duke Bryant train with chi, while I train with mana."

"What do you mean?" said Ratatosk. "You can control mana?"

"It's definitely not control. It's what Mother's training meant to do. If I need power, my body guides the mana thriving in it, and…" She raised one fist, and drove its gloved knuckles against the wall.

_A shockwave?_ Emil had seen it for two seconds at most: electric blue sparks that ran from her fist and outwards along the wall.

"Well, the seal recognized me," Adelle shrugged. "Two more punches, I think."

And she delivered them one after another, with almost no interval in between. They saw no seal, but a tunnel had taken the wall's place, leading into a dark beyond.

"How could you have known about this place if you had not been here for sixteen years?" said Raine.

"I met the Princess once when I was imprisoned," said Adelle. "Ran took advantage of her in a dream, and brought her to me. She told me about Sylvarant, Jizelle, and this place. It was dug after the Vanguard had abandoned it, she said." She bent down to pick up another memento.

"Oh, look. My Sacred Stone."

Behind him, Emil felt Richter's grimace.

* * *

"It's a hot spring!" Marta and Colette cheered.

"It's a hot spring?" Emil and Lloyd whined.

"When I said drafts, I thought it the place would be moist and slippery," Adelle remarked. "Oh, never mind. It'll be bad if temperatures went any lower. A bath would do us good."

"Isn't there any place to shower?" Zelos ran towards a large boulder, and peeked behind it. "There's a little waterfall here!"

"The spring is divided in three, all separated by shrubs," said Raine. "The third is a small one at the very back, and a path opens from there."

"The way we came in continued on had a path, too," said Sheena. "That's likely the way into Meltokio."

"So the treasury must be beyond that third spring," said Presea. "How shall we divide?"

"I'll look at the treasury," said Adelle. "While the rest of you use the spring. Oh, and Hayden, reserve that third spring for us, would you?"

It was the first time anyone had seen Hayden's face grow rosy, but he said nothing.

"Then it's the men and women divided between the bigger pools," clapped Regal. "…Oh dear, we don't have towels."

"Okay with me!" cried Lloyd. "Right, Emil?"

"Er…"

"You better not peek through the bushes, or I'll smack all of you!" Sheena said with a raised fist.

The women turned away, and Lloyd, Zelos, and Genis hastened in taking their clothes off, much to the others' discomfort. Zelos stepped beneath the falls, while Lloyd and Genis sank immediately into the spring.

"Ahh, this beats inns any day!" Genis cried.

"Exactly what I was thinking!" said Lloyd. "Get in! We can't stay for long!"

Emil removed his scarf and boots, and set them neatly at a distance. Then he took off his top and pants, folding them closer to the rim of the spring, before sliding in, across from Lloyd and Genis. "Has it been a while since you last did this?"

"We did it once more these last seven months," Zelos said as he entered, "but it didn't feel right without you."

"Oh." Regal stepped in, followed by Ratatosk, and Richter. The latter two took either side of Emil, while Regal sat between Genis and Zelos.

"We can't save Jizelle if our bodies don't get enough rest," Regal stated openly. "We shouldn't blame ourselves if we couldn't follow her the first time."

"It should've been just her and Adelle," said Genis. "Neither of them could assume that we'd get involved. But now that both of them are our friends…"

"We can't abandon them, even if _they_ wanted it," finished Zelos. "The same thing goes for Emil. If there had been hope, we weren't going to waste it."

"None of us did have hope, at first," said Lloyd. "When we got out, we were obliged to comfort Marta, who was—let's admit it—the person who felt most betrayed. Self-sacrifice does that to people. It made us feel that we couldn't protect you, an important friend. And whether you want us to or not, we'll regret it for the rest of our lives."

"Don't say it like you have something against him."

Emil turned to Ratatosk, his eyes downcast. "…When I regained my memories, and I remembered about Jizelle…I couldn't admit that I was…afraid. Afraid of how she'll condemn me. Afraid to meet her. So after the Martel Temple, I only pretended to rebel. If being sealed until we reach the Ginnungagap would prevent me from seeing Jizelle, then that was fine."

_I don't understand_, thought Emil. _Ratatosk is afraid of Jizelle disdaining him, but I haven't heard her insult anyone else in that way. Ratatosk had done a lot of terrible things, but does he really deserve this kind of treatment?_

_It's so…cruel._

Richter folded his arms. "Don't think about it. If you're so sensitive to what she says, then stop thinking about it. You'll only lose in the end."

"Besides, Ratatosk, you were on the offensive, too," said Genis. "With Emil."

"It's still different from how Jizelle treats me," said Ratatosk. "One minute, she'll tell me we're friends, and the next, she'll call me a useless halfwit, and turn back."

_You heard Richter; don't think about it,_ Emil silently commanded himself. _Jizelle's the only one who could answer Ratatosk's questions, and he can't listen to them until we save her._

In his drowsiness, Emil instinctively leaned his head on Richter shoulder. When he felt him stiffen, he straightened up. "I'm sorry! I just…"

"It's better than rocks," Lloyd said with a grin, pulling his arms out of the water and resting them over the rim. "Right, Zelos?"

"Ah, a guy can't live without women," Zelos said, and laughed.

"You mean one guy has to live with more women?" Genis joked. "If you haven't noticed, Zelos, we've got more men than women. And two of us are fighting over a woman who isn't even with us!"

"You shouldn't start jokes like that, Zelos," scolded Regal.

"C'mon, I was just lightening the mood. You're all way too serious. Once we get to my place in Meltokio, I'm lending out drinks!"

"I'm not even at drinking age!" Emil exclaimed.

"Hah! There's no such thing as drinking age!" Zelos hollered. "I can give you weak liquor to mix with fruit juice!"

"I don't want mixed, anymore," Genis argued. "Give me a strong booze!"

"Hey, I'll get a bad reputation for letting a kid drink _real_ alcohol."

"You're putting us into danger by having us drink at all," groaned Lloyd.

Emil turned his eyes to Ratatosk. He was silent during the whole affair, and his back had patches of red.

Bumps that needed massaging.

He smiled to himself, and grabbed Ratatosk's arm. "You're back hurts, doesn't it? Let me help you."

Ratatosk remained silent, still too weary to be angry. But he exposed his back to him. Emil looked at his palms. _I hope I remember how to do this._

_

* * *

_  
Everyone, fully clothed and dressed, looked at Ratatosk's still naked body sitting in the spring.

"…Did part of the plan include abandoning Ratatosk?" Colette asked.

"I hit a pressure point by accident!" Emil moaned. "He's gonna kill me when he wakes up!"

"It can't be helped," said Raine. "He'll wake up by the time we reach the palace, I hope."

"I'll carry him," volunteered Adelle.

Regal stopped her with a hand. "It's not a lady's duty. Additionally, I refuse to let you to clothe him."

"Don't worry, Emil," said Marta. "When Ratatosk does wake up and come at you, I'll knock him back out."

"Heh, thanks." He turned to Adelle. "So, was it the treasury?"

A moment of silence.

Adelle bowed her head. "Yes, but…it's better if you don't see it yet."

"What was inside?" asked Sheena.

"Carcasses," Adelle answered immediately. "Carcasses, everywhere! Her monsters were…"

Emil recovered the memory of the garuda in Meltokio, and imagined its bloody corpse…"That's terrible!"

"Who could've done such a thing?" said Presea.

Another moment of silence, broken by Lloyd. "Do you know, Adelle?"

Adelle bit her lip, and her head hunched between trembling shoulders. Hayden immediately took her into his arms.

"Do you know?" Lloyd asked again.

"We did!" Adelle crossed her arms over herself. "Jizelle and I did it. She never told me how she would open the door…so she…so she…"

"Oh, no," gasped Genis.

"She collected all those monsters…" Raine paused, "…so she could kill them."

"And break the seal," said Richter.

Zelos bent down and tore Adelle's hands away from herself. "And you helped her do it."

Emil joined Zelos as Adelle sank, screaming, to her knees.


	25. Beyond the Sheet of Vapor

**A/N:** Scroll to the bottom of the story for a longer author's note. You may read beforehand (or not, if such people don't bother)

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Beyond the Sheet of Vapor**

**~SKIT: Elven Society~**

Zelos: You Sylvaranti might not get it, but you have to look at our darling Adelle's situation as she realized it: she's seen a violence that she had helped create.

Marta: But she didn't intend to do it.

Sheena: It's undeniable that it happened. She has to accept the truth, and carry the guilt.

Regal: The deaths of those monsters threaten her pride as an elf. If that pride was taken away from her, she'll be abandoned by her own kind.

Emil: They can't do that! She has a brother!

Presea: Then why would Mameha be in Mizuho?

Genis: You're not suggesting that she was kicked out, are you?

Raine: If Mameha had the choice to return home, she wouldn't be remaining in Mizuho in her old age.

Richter: This has always been the elves' solution: prevent anyone risking their lifestyle from ever entering their sacred village.

Colette: Why would they banish such a nice woman?

Emil: It might have been because she taught Adelle how to fight.

Lloyd: Hmm…

* * *

**~SKIT: Court Musician~**

Adelle: … … … …

Regal: I know that face.

Adelle: Your Grace! I mean, Regal, I mean—

Regal: Did I catch you off guard? Forgive me, but I do recognize that face you're wearing. You're composing, aren't you?

Presea: Composing?

Adelle: Duke Bryant…!

Regal: Your eyes are downcast, and your lips are pursed. I've seen it happen so often that I remember what comes out of it.

Adelle: Is it that recognizable?

Presea: Is it a song for the king?

Adelle: Possibly. But there are so many instruments that I plan to use. I can't play them all at the same time.

Lloyd: I thought you only composed vocals.

Adelle: I would never have been qualified for court if I don't have any sort of arrangement to sing to. I would love to accept an offer to arrange or write for me, but I can create my own music if necessary.

Presea: Amazing.

Lloyd: I've never known Regal to exaggerate; you must've been really good.

Adelle: Thank you, but…you can't judge me for sure until you listen for yourselves.

Regal: Why don't you compliment yourself?

Adelle: I hope you don't take it negatively. I just tell myself that I should be making the changes I want to happen. If it goes that way, then it's more than enough.

Lloyd: So you don't tell yourself that you're a good musician. Don't worry; I'll make sure you know how I think about your music when I listen to it.

Presea: You have my word, as well.

Adelle: …Thank you. You're all such thoughtful people.

* * *

"Here it is."

Emil's neck stretched towards the stairs carved along the earth's walls. "I never knew that we were this_ deep _underground."

"We're not," said Adelle. "This ground we stand on is underneath the first level of Meltokio. The earth between here and the castle was hollowed out for these stairs." She turned around, and showed to all her new excitement. "Hayden, you ought to say something to these people."

Emil felt everyone tense. _Was she telling him to apologize…?_

Hayden turned around, revealing an anxious face. "I…" he began, "I…it…I've made…a grave mistake. I wanted to get revenge on Jizelle, and I was willing to hurt you for defending her. I realize now that it was wrong. I…realized that I wasn't doing anything good for myself, or Adelle, or the people of Heimdall. I apologize for…for everything I've put you through, and for the dangers I've exposed to you."

"Seems you've been thinking about this," Raine remarked.

Hayden flushed, and looked down. "I'm sorry…and I'm ashamed of myself. You deserve to hate me."

"If we're on the same page, then we don't have to," said Sheena. "You said you're sorry, and that's enough."

"Glad the tension's gone," Genis exhaled. "Okay, Hayden. You get a clean slate."

"Welcome to the group, Hayden," said Regal.

Hayden blinked. "I…um…"

From behind Adelle threw her arms around Hayden's neck. "I _told_ you it was easy!"

Emil could hear Richter snort. "I still don't trust him," he muttered.

"I think most of us feel the same way," Raine answered quietly. "But what matters now is that he doesn't pose as a threat to us."

"Don't let Adelle hear that!" Zelos hissed, and he stated out loud. "Well, no use stopping now if we're only one climb away from the palace!"

"You're right," said Colette. "But I'm worried…shouldn't a secret entrance like this have some sort of guard?"

"Ah, yes, there are guards." Adelle rose three steps up the stairs. "And they best be in a forgiving mood."

She skipped steps as she ran upwards, pausing on top of one flight, and turning left to start another.

There was a gurgle, and a beat in the wind. Emil froze. "Were those…_dragons_?"

"The best underground security we could bet for!" Adelle called out, her face not cracked in alarm. She stretched her arm to the gurgling sound.

On cue, two large, yellow dragons flap their large wings towards her, allowing Adelle to rub either of their noses as they muttered their welcome.

"Come on up!" said Adelle. "You can pass!"

"We'll go in pairs," said Lloyd. "Colette, come with me." Colette took Lloyd's hand, Hayden and Richter followed—with Ratatosk slung over Richter's shoulder—then Regal and Raine, Emil and Marta, Presea and Genis, and Zelos and Sheena.

"These are Johanna and Coraline," Adelle introduced the two guards. "Not exactly what you'd call pets, but they're very affectionate. I find it hard to love such a precious bunch."

"They're _dragons_," Richter emphasized.

"Oh, don't be so cruel. They're animals, at the very least. Be a little optimistic for them." Adelle turned back to the dragons. "We must go, but I'll come back this time. You've done a great job."

"Adelle can work her magic on animals," said Marta. "She's just…amazing."

"People can easily judge her as amazing and perfect," said Presea. "But that is not the case. She puts a very strong front and a convincing mask to protect…the most important people in her life."

"But what about protecting herself?" asked Genis.

Presea shook her head. "I'm still…figuring it out."

Adelle waved goodbye to the dragons, and Emil silently wished she hadn't heard anything.

"Let's delay His Majesty no longer."

* * *

"Master Wilder!" the ladies-in-waiting gasped as Zelos and Regal emerged first from the door, followed by the others. "No one was expected to use that door for years!"

"Oh, dear, this is a lady's room," sighed Regal. "The deceased queen's?"

"No, sir," answered a lady, "the princess's."

"She's in the audience chamber with the King," said another. "Shall we announce your arrival?"

"Sure thing," said Zelos.

"But do it discreetly," Regal quickly added. "We don't want to interrupt anything."

The ladies bowed, "Yes, sir. Is there anything else you need?"

Zelos waved a hand. "Nah, we're good."

As soon as the room was clear, Emil helped in taking Hayden and Adelle out of the hatch. Richter laid a drowsy Ratatosk's body on the couch.

"Nobody touches the bedroom door," Adelle warned before she too, reclined on a couch. "I used to sit here with the princess before we were called to attend parties. I'm so glad to find it still alive."

The men took the sofas, and the women sat on the pillows that spread over the floor. "So this is the princess's room…" said Marta. "What I'd give to live in here!"

"What _would_ you give to sew clothes for the poor and to pray to Martel everyday?" Adelle giggled. "I'm sorry, that came out a little silly."

"But you were honest, and that's enough," Hayden spoke kindly as he took Adelle's hand.

"You're sillier!" Adelle used her other hand to encase Hayden's.

A groan filled the room, and Emil turned to see Ratatosk's lashes beating against the light. "Wh…where…"

"We're at a rest stop before we see the King," said Sheena. "Do you want to stay here for a bit?"

"I'm fine." Ratatosk hoisted himself off the couch and stretched his arms out. He spoke to Emil, "What happened?"

"Er…"

"The gas," said Raine. "There was a gas in the spring, and we couldn't wake you up. Do you feel anything strange with yourself?"

Emil exchanged looks with Raine in gratitude as Ratatosk examined himself. "…Nothing."

"Master Wilder! Master Brya—"

The princess stopped at her doorstep, her eyes fixed at Adelle seated with Hayden.

"Nurse?"

**

* * *

A/N:** お待たせいたしまして申し訳ありません。 *ahem* The jap is a polite way of saying, "I apologize for the wait." I really do. Apparently, adapting to college took more time that I ever thought it would. BUT I FINALLY HAVE A LIFE. *claps hands wildly*

Also, I this thought came to mind: _I've never had a case of plagiarism before._ Is that awesome (for obvious reasons) or not (cause 1: my writing style sucks or 2: plagiarists are in hiding). At any rate, God bless small fandoms for few readers and writers. _Wheee._

At any rate, I've thought of a spoof! Completely spoof scenes…but plot is a problem. Maybe it's time I bring out…ZE NOTEBUK (an old notebook where I used to write down story ideas of sorts for remembrance).


	26. Clever Grief

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Clever Grief**

Everyone, including Ratatosk, upon seeing Richter's cues, rose at the royal presence who had unknowingly given them rest from a dive to the underground.

Adelle flashed an affectionate smile. "Highness, you've grown."

Emil turned his head to Adelle, to the Princess, and to Adelle again. He daren't speak.

"She's right, your Highness," said Regal. "You _have_ grown."

The Princess addressed him in return "Master Bryant…this is an exceedingly unusual visit."

"In many ways," Adelle added cheerily. "Your room's changed much…you've taken a liking for gilded furniture…your father, perhaps?"

The Princess did not speak, but she kept such a stoic face that Emil couldn't tell if she was suppressing her joy or of she wasn't at all pleased to see her.

"Milady! Milady!"

Moments later a boy stood at the princess' door. Smartly dressed in a navy blue waistcoat and hair that he'd combed back, he stared at Adelle from the threshold.

"Milady," he breathed in what sounded like a euphoric tone.

Adelle flashed an even wider beam at him. "Cress."

Emil felt the air thicken. Again, he wasn't sure of whether he was witnessing a good or a bad thing, but even as he kept still, he suddenly found it hard to breathe.

Adelle turned to the Princess. "May I note, Highness, that someone awaits your word to enter?"

The Princess' eyes narrowed. "Given the situation, it doesn't seem necessary."

The noble let out an exaggerated sigh, and rushed across the room, pulling Adelle into his embrace. He was much taller than her, and his young face surrendered its grace as tears welled in his eyes. Seeing the rest of the visitors, he closed them shut, failing to catch a drop that trailed down his left cheek.

Hayden, Emil observed, was as quiet as everyone else, though Emil considered that it could've been a different situation in his case. He half-expected Hayden to wrench Adelle away, but it was almost as if time had stopped for everyone but for two who are seemingly in contrast with their respective impressions of Adelle, and Adelle herself.

Lloyd cleared his throat, and bowed low. "Princess, we must apologize for our intrusion. We only wished to present Adelle to your father before the news spreads."

The Princess eyed Lloyd, then Regal, then Zelos, before heaving a sigh. "…I'm not angry. I volunteered to have my room provide an underground passage." Tossing her head back to Adelle, "You could've told _me_, at least!"

"If I send a messenger from Sybak, people would speculated," Adelle replied, releasing herself from Cress. "Rumors are getting nasty with each passing year. I was murdered; that's what you were all told, right?"

"A sad bloke was convinced you were," Cress answered casually. "Said he was hunting down the person who did it. No need to elaborate on that, I hope?"

Hayden started, but Adelle took his arm and raised it high. "I'm sure I've caught the right bloke for you, then."

There was another pause, and the princess clapped her hands over her lips, and Cress took a hostile stance; a sword sheath was tucked in his belt at an angle that Emil couldn't see.

"You were responsible for all those pillages?" Cress raised his voice at Hayden.

"Cress." Adelle laid a palm to the flat of Cress's blade, lowering it down. "He comes as my prisoner. You will _not_ touch him."

"Prisoner…" Emil muttered the words to himself. _Since when did she decide that?_

"There's no helping it," said the Princess. "We've wasted a bit of time. Father's arranging a private chamber for you. I'll be accompanying you there."

"That's very thoughtful of you," Adelle complimented, "Hilda."

Princess Hilda turned away from them, and stepped outside of the room. I won't let you see him until you're rid of those hideous garments, though."

"Thought you'd say as much." Adelle laughed her high, rich laugh.

* * *

It was the first time Emil had seen the King rising from his throne. Unlike Cress, who'd immediately recognized Adelle at a glance, he promenaded her isolate form, which was now robed in skirts of jade and a bodice with a large ribbon tied at the waist.

"What was your role in court?" the King asked her.

"I was a maid-in waiting to the princess, then a musician, then a tutor of one of the novices," Adelle replied. "I began at thirteen, and I served for three years."

He eyed the group, searching their faces. Regal stated, "I've kept her under my watch, Your Majesty. Nothing suggests that she is an imposter."

The King only nodded before turning back to Adelle. "I'll have you know that your novice has grown into a fine man," he said, with what was only a slight hint of praise. "He seems very convinced that you are not a hallucination."

"My King, you do not hallucinate," Adelle replied bluntly, but there was some clever enlightenment to it nonetheless. "Was I mistaken to notify his Majesty first above the rest of the countries? Is it not my duty to him?"

"Yes…" the King prolonged the word. "You don't seem surprised about our new countrymen. You have not entered Sylvarant territory, have you?"

"I made my way here from Sybak, your Majesty."

"Guided, more like. Sybak…quite a difficult place to hide."

Emil assumed that this dialogue was not at all significant, and his eyes began to scan the chamber. Like the throne room, the walls were painted in gold, but the curtains were of a blue sort of tapestry wool, veiling the windows. The chandelier above did not fail to illuminate the corners of the area, and there was no carpet between his soiled shoes and the dazzling floor.

Suddenly the King was standing in front of him. He stepped back in alarm, only to be caught by Zelos.

"My boy, Adelle tells me that you've been communicating with her," the King said.

"It was…" Emil started, then turned his head away, "…just recently. Well, it was because I died, and…"

He remembered that white tower. The white rabbit. The Adelle that seemed so different to the one they possessed at present.

And the words slipped by accident, "It was a lonely place."

Adelle smiled narrowly, but this deemed properly graceful. "Is my loneliness a weakness, then?"

Emil blinked. "Weakness? I never said—"

Adelle shrugged her shoulders. "You wouldn't have brought it up otherwise. Is it a sensitive topic for you?"

Marta tried to catch Emil's eye, wanting to speak in his behalf. Of course it was sensitive! Luin had treated him like a rabid dog—a monster—the moment he set foot in it until the moment they set out. Hidden months of loneliness was a damn sensitive topic!

"Moderately," Richter answered to the silent hall. "And I've seen him reach Jizelle. They've shared a strange mutuality that was different from all her other relationships."

"What are you saying, Richter?" asked Colette.

"Jizelle _was_ lonely. She'd met Aster and me only a few years ago. And because of _him_—" he raised his arm at Hayden, "—nobody was willing to help her. Not even Your Majesty."

Adelle dipped into a curtsy at once. "Your Majesty, I hadn't—"

The King stopped her with a hand, "I don't need any defenses, my dear. It is as he says. There, indeed, was no one who helped her but herself. She has worked independently for years."

"But Your Majesty," Adelle curtsied once more, lower than what she'd intended, "this person…he who chased Jizelle down for years…my…my…"

Hayden stepped forth, and wrapped his arms around Adelle, pulling her back to the group. Then he took her place before the audience chamber, "I sought to kill her, believing that she'd killed Adelle. I am responsible for her suffering, Your Majesty, and for the damage across your lands."

Emil could watch the King as he discreetly bit his lower lip. "And who are you to this lady?"

"Her intended, sir."

There was another paused, then, "Ah."

Cress stepped in and swiftly took hold of Adelle's wrist, pulling her away from Hayden's arms. "We must take action, Your Majesty. This man holds many crimes against him; it would be unwise to let him roam free.

"I believe in repentance, my dear boy" was the King's immediate answer to him before turning to Emil with a wide smile. "And remember: Adelle was the one who took care of _you_."

Cress opened his mouth to speak, then shut them, turning his head away in slight irritation.

The King waved his hand. "Punish him as you see fit, Adelle. I've nothing to give." A pause. "Oh, yes…I'd like you to get one your older music boxes, if you please. I've placed them in a safe and sent servants regularly to have them refined. Then I'll have you perform on your instruments, which I've also kept. I want to see how much you've changed in sixteen years."

Adelle dipped into a curtsy again, and the King declared a silent dismissal by turning away.

* * *

**~SKIT: Changing Foundation~**

Emil: What did the King mean about Cress? Why did he get mad?

Regal: Cress lived in the rural area, and earned his living as a pickpocket. Oftentimes he would steal from the aristocracy, and sometimes, even from the Royal Guard.

Adelle: I met him when he was surrounded by servants and merchants. I took him away, and decided to put him under my care.

Regal: You weren't even fifteen by then. And he was twelve.

Adelle: Thinking back, I suppose I acted that way because I missed my own brother. I didn't intend on replacing him with Cress, of course, but I wanted to recreate that presence that I could always sense in Adolfe. And in this case, I had an authority which I'd enjoyed quite a bit.

Regal: You bribed his meals with chores.

Adelle: Did I?

Marta: So she _does_ power trip.

Genis: Any older sibling would have a sense of power trip. Raine _always_ does it to me and Lloyd.

Emil: So part of the "presence" Adelle wanted to get was from that power trip?

Genis: If she'd wanted to try it with someone else, I guess he really had some authority over her. It's not an abusive relationship, but while her brother had authority, Adelle didn't need an incentive to respect him.

Emil: Meaning?

Marta: She loves her brother. And she loves Cress in that same way.

Emil: …I'm really confused…

* * *

**~SKIT: Shuffling Custody~**

Cress: Milady, I—

Adelle: Cress, I'm proud of you.

Cress: But…milady, I—you—

Adelle: I was watching you, silly. Did you think that I would forget about you?

Cress: I'll admit that. I'm sorry; I know you told me to trust you, but I…I'm ashamed.

Adelle: Don't be ashamed because of what I chose. That's my responsibility.

Cress: But it was noble! You were noble for setting an imprisoned soul free…she…it's her fault! She wasn't grateful for what you've done for her, and wasted it away!

To Adelle: Cress…

Cress: I couldn't protect you…I promised I would protect you but I…

Adelle: You were young, and the circumstances were beyond your understanding. If anything, it was for a selfish cause.

Cress: Wh-what?

Adelle: I'm sorry that I have to be so vague about it. I was dealing with otherworldly things that wre beyond even Sylvarant because I wanted to save a weak spirit. An life of banishment was what I deserved for an equal life of meddling.

Cress: Forgive me for doubting you, milady.

Adelle: It's fine. I wanted to keep the secret to myself but…I've involved so many people, that…

* * *

"Home sweet home!" Zelos raised his arms in praise as he led the group into one of his sitting halls. He turned to Sebastian, standing on his right. "No trouble if you get us some food?"

"None whatsoever, Master Zelos," Sebastian replied, bowing before he set off.

"Is Seles here?" asked Regal.

Zelos sat himself down on a three-seat sofa. "Probably asleep, so I don't want any rowdy stuff going on in here."

When everyone had sat down, Raine spoke, "It was very nice of Cress to see you off this late at night."

"I'm very sorry to have kept you off, though," said Adelle, "his Majesty had me perform three pieces…"

"That just _proves_ they were good," complimented Lloyd.

"Wish I'd been in there though…" Zelos sighed. "You used to compose music for the meals and the dancing and dramas. I remember them from way back."

Sebastian arrived with a small and rather overstuffed trolley. "I apologize for this presentation, master. All we have are leftovers and drink.

"It's alright," said Genis. "We'll all have to turn in soon."

"Yeah, it's getting pretty late," said Sheena. "Just a quick snack will do; thanks Sebastian."

When Sebastian left again, Marta lunged for the sheets and pulled them off, revealing cakes, éclairs, and soufflés, all fresh and neatly presented. She took one éclair by hand and held it to Ratatosk's mouth. "Come on, try it."

Ratatosk pushed it away. "I don't need to eat."

"Don't be a spoilsport, Ratatosk," said Colette, taking a slice of cake. "It's not poisonous or anything."

"We've seen you cook, as well," added Presea, who took a choux crème from a second tray underneath the first. "You have good taste."

Ratatosk furrowed his brows, but ultimately allowed Marta to feed him an éclair. Then he grimaced, "Too sweet. Besides, aren't you supposed to be with him?"

They both turned to Emil, who did not have his eyes on them. Instead, he was watching Lloyd consuming a large scoop of the cake that Colette had brought to his mouth. When Lloyd noticed them, he shrugged, pulling a wide grin.

"Whoohoo! Sake!" Sheena cheered as she pulled out some bottles. "Adelle, you drink this, right?"

Adelle gave a beam "A little bit, maybe." Emil noticed Hayden blinking as he sat beside her, then slowly inching away.

Marta raised a hand, "Can I have some, too?"

"Marta!" shouted Ratatosk, silencing the company. He looked away with a red face. "You…d-don't you consider his feelings? He's not drinking, is he?"

"Don't _you_ consider his feelings when you don't call him by name?" Richter intruded.

Emil turned to them, "It's okay, Richter, really. I used to be like that." And to Marta, "Please, don't let me hold you back."

Sheena pulled out a _kakubin_ from the lower shelf of the tray, the container that Emil realized Jizelle had been using in Meltokio. After filling it, instead of taking a swig herself, she offered it to Adelle.

Adelle took hold of the handle, flung her other arm over the couch, threw her head back and drank in large gulps. The room fell silent in moments, and no one spoke until she drew in a long sigh of satisfaction.

"…Is…" Genis began, "is she drunk?"

In answer, Adelle slung her arms around Hayden's neck and pulling him into a kiss. Seconds later, she was forcing her tongue into his mouth.

Noises rang all over the room. Zelos was cheering, Raine was aghast, and Marta was squealing, amongst some of them. Emil's cheeks heated, and immediately looked away. Soon he was irritated for he'd been the only one to do so, and that no seemed to plan on stopping them. "G-guys!"

"Mmm, Hayden, darling," Adelle giggled, "let's share the bed tonight…"

Emil spun his head back after hearing this. Adelle was now on his shoulder, her body lying slack along the length of the couch, forcing Hayden to one side.

"Not until you bathe and rid your breath of that alcohol," was Hayden's answer in a near-nervous tone.

"I want you to bathe me," Adelle whined, reaching to tug his ear with her lips. Hayden's face grew redder at this, and he rose, sweeping her into his arms before rushing out of the room.

"She gets horny after a drink!" Zelos applauded. "Who would've figured?"

"She's never acted like that during a party, however," said Regal, the astonishment on his face subtle.

"Maybe it was the sake?" shrugged Presea, whose face showed no reaction. "Isn't its concentration higher than most wines?"

"But she drank it all in one go!" said Lloyd. "Of course she'd get drunk on that!"

"We saw Jizelle drinking though," blurted Marta, and all heads turned to her. "…Back in Mizuho, the night before we left. She drank a lot by the time we saw her, but she wasn't drunk at all."

"She was sharing her attributes with Adelle," said Raine. "Maybe her habits have been affected. If that were the case, it would explain why Jizelle's feelings were heavily suppressed."

"You mean she had half a heart because Adelle had the other one?" Ratatosk joined in.

"Don't call her a half-heart!"

Emil had risen, his body bent forwards at Ratatosk. "Jizelle _does_ have a heart! She can be happy! She can be angry! _She can love!_ It's just that—" Emil paused. _It's just that…that…_ It frustrated him to be the only one who could acknowledge it. None of them were there when she told her she loved him. He began to remember the anguish of being an orphan, the pain of using Marta as her shield.

"Emil," said Lloyd, with a hint of graveness. "You've got every reason to call us ignorant for this, but we don't understand. We _want_ to understand Jizelle, but we couldn't. We still can't. We don't understand _what_ she is or _who_ she was. We don't understand what she's feeling, or what she couldn't feel." Lloyd bit his lip and bowed his head down. "We were with her all the time, and yet…we…couldn't…"

"None of us could…" Richter's eyes were half-lidded, and so were Ratatosk's.

Emil sat back down, tears welling in his eyes. _We never actually helped her._


	27. Endearment, Endurance, Endemic

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Endearment, Endurance, Endemic**

Marta insisted on sharing the room with Emil that night. Boys and girls entered separate dressing rooms, and neither were too enthusiastic about peeking into the other.

A lulling silence filled the boys' room, drifting past each of them and contaminating them, which was followed by a lethargic process of undressing and searching for bedclothes.

Emil, in particular, had gotten extremely fatigued, that he almost dropped as soon as he rose from his seat after fitting in his slippers. It was Richter who had caught him, and supported his weight as they exited the room.

No words of comfort were exchanged.

Marta welcomed Richter into her bedroom, and assisted in carrying Emil towards the bed. After he left, she sat down at the bed's edge, gazing down at Emil's sleeping form.

After rubbing her hands together, she began to stroke his hair and plant kisses upon his face.

* * *

_You said you'd respect my choice._

"Wh…what is—"

_Was that really the truth? Or were you in denial?_

"De…denial?"

_Why do you deny, Emil? Why do you lie to yourself?_

"Doesn't that mean I lied to you, too?"

_I chose to do this, Emil. After years of compromising and denying my desires, I chose to come back and save my kind._

"You don't have to do it alone! Why do you have to do everything yourself, Jizelle? Are you too selfish to trust us?"

_You are not—_

* * *

"Emil!"

Emil slowly opened his eyes, and found himself staring at Marta, his head upon her lap. "Did…did I…"

"Nightmares again," answered Marta. "I couldn't calm you down, no matter what I tried."

"They weren't nightmares, Marta," Emil protested as he tried to remember the conversation. "Listen, I was talking to—"

"Jizelle, I heard." Marta carefully removed him off her, tucking his head into a pillow. "I won't ask. I just wanted you to rest peacefully tonight, that's all. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

Emil brought a hand to his forehead. Sweaty, but not feverish. "Yeah…I guess I'm a bit tired. What about you, Marta?"

Marta laid herself down, her upper body hoisted over his. "You need rest more than I do."

Emil's brows narrowed. "I don't want to compromise."

"That's not what's happening. I promise." She began to comb his hair with her fingers. "You're really cute when you're pulling that face, though." She planted kisses on both of his cheeks. "I love how adorable you could be."

Emil kissed both of her cheeks in return, but had difficulty in raising his head. "But I thought you wanted me to man up."

"It's not wrong to say that you're already man enough." Marta rolled to her side, facing away from Emil. "When I lie down like this, I can feel your arm around me. That's really sweet…" Her breathing stilled, indicating that she had fallen asleep.

Emil smiled to himself as he wrapped his arm around her again. After their earlier talk of marriage and Adelle's drunken misconduct, he was comforted by the fact that neither Marta— nor he—had grown tired of their simplistic gestures of love. It wasn't raw or lustful, both of which he'd feared to see so early in their relationship, but it wasn't as traditional as people would think. Could this have been a perfect approach to love?

Too weary to focus, he rose and pressed a final kiss on the corner of Marta lips. Thumping his head back on the pillow, he soon fell back into his slumber.

* * *

Though reassured that he needed rest, Emi woke up feeling more guilt-ridden than ever. Jizelle was in danger; they didn't have time to rest…!

He rose up—in a smaller bed. He rubbed his eyes. He wasn't in Zelos's guest room.

"How did I…Marta!"

Fully awake, he yanked the blanket off and headed for the door. The knob won't turn. He banged: "Marta! Marta, where are you? Lloyd! Richter!"

"Calm down."

Behind him was Presea, her face carving the epitome of calm. How Emil hadn't noticed her a moment ago was curious. "We relocated you overnight. We're in Ozette."

A pause. A small voice from Emil, "…How?"

"The dragons. From Ozette, they will scout the area. Lloyd and the others are driving them."

"What for?"

"Demons…" Presea hesitated, "…or, whatever they really are."

Ambiguities, aside, Emil had a more urgent question than unidentified opponents. "What about Marta? The girls? Are they safe?"

"Adelle insisted that they train. I left myself behind so I could get them back later." She held up a key, and turned the lock free. "Ratatosk is waiting for you outside."

"Was he forced to leave himself behind, too?"

Presea pursed her lips. "He wasn't interested in scouting or training." She turned the knob, and Ratatosk stood beyond the threshold, stripped of his upper garments. Emil closed the door and sheepishly approached him.

"…It's humid," Ratatosk said. "You okay?"

"Fine," Emil answered, "though I didn't think that you'd be worried for me."

"It was safer when we shared a body."

"Oh…" Emil bit his lip. He _knew_ that Ratatosk wanted to talk to about Jizelle. "…She…lied to us, too…before any of this."

Ratatosk turned to him, keeping his stoic look. "Hm?"

"She passed herself as Adelle's other half by saying that her body was borrowed, and that her emotions were divided between the both of them, but that wasn't true on Adelle's part."

"She was her half, in a way," said Ratatosk. "Jizelle was born without a body, and she couldn't just create her own. So she used someone else's."

Emil smiled bitterly. "And I thought that she was born like me."

"_I_ created you," Ratatosk reminded Emil, "…and I wasn't hiding from Richter alone. Jizelle could've met us, too. If I met with her outside the Ginnungagap, she'll take my spot."

"Richter was convincing her to join the Vanguard at that time," said Emil. "They've been together like that for months; of course she would know that you were outside!"

Ratatosk clenched his fist. "Why can't she tell it to my face? Why didn't she punch sense into me? How…could she just…_abandon_…?"

"How could you abandon the Ginnungagap?"

"What?"

"How could you run away after getting hurt by a half-elf?" Emil asked darkly. "You weren't remorseful about Aster's death, so that's no reason. And you technically can't die—you simply revert to a core. If you were afraid of Jizelle as you said, why would you choose her before staying? Why didn't you just hide in the Ginnungagap like you wanted?"

"Because—" Ratatosk started, "…because…well…"

Now Emil didn't know what he was feeling. Satisfaction, because he cornered Ratatosk? Frustration, because of Ratatosk's behavior? Or…

Despair, for having been born out of Ratatosk's cowardice?

_Why do you deny, Emil? _

The words echoed in him. In the dream, he addressed the voice as Jizelle, but now, he couldn't remember what this one really sounded like. So he went for Jizelle' voice. "Because I was scared," he murmured under his breath. Ratatosk grunted at the incoherent speech.

_Why do you lie to yourself?_ Again came the voice he imagined to be Jizelle's.

_Because,_ he answered, shutting his eyes, _I wanted to be happy, even if I wasn't satisfied. But…_

"It's not right, huh?" Emil said aloud, and bent forward, bowing his head.

The sound of a door hinge, and out came Presea. She cast one look at the two before setting off.

"Why did we leave Meltokio?" Emil asked.

"A commotion," answered Ratatosk. "Demons…or…they look like demons, but …"

Emil raised his head to face Ratatosk. "Presea's mentioned something like that. Are they any different?"

"They were…_coordinated_. They surrounded the city, and headed straight for the higher levels. They didn't kill anyone."

"So why did _we_ have to be the ones who leave?"

"They were looking for us. For—" he hesitated, "_us_."

"_Us_? Why?"

"Emil!" He turned his head towards Marta's voice, and was soon caught in her arms. "Feeling better?"

He made no move to struggle away from her. Despite the heat, he relished her embrace. "Fine…I'm okay."

"Have you eaten?" asked Colette.

"Erm…"

"I'll make the food." Silence passed as Ratatosk stepped into the house.

"But we have women!" Sheena called after him. "Jeez, just because our cooking isn't as good—"

"We would like Emil to eat healthily after some rest," Raine said lamentingly.

"Wait," started Emil, "what about Adelle?"

"Hasn't she done enough?" Marta answered in a rush. Everyone kept their peace.

Then came Presea. "She can't cook."

And Emil caught only a glimpse of Adelle rushing into the house—almost tripping over the threshold.


	28. Screech Unheeded

**I CHALLENGE YOU. I WILL NOT POST THE NEXT CHAPTER UNTIL I GET FIVE REVIEWS ON THIS ONE.**

**I'M SERIOUS. NO CHAPTER 29 UNTIL I GET FIVE REVIEWS. **

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Screech Unheeded **

It was a secluded cottage in Ozette, though not Altessa's. The abandoned house was even smaller than Altessa's that welcoming the rest of the men and sharing the food inside had become a difficulty. The tables were then dragged outside, and the women had to recreate their dining setup to fit the evening.

The humid afternoon was matched with chilling winds hours later. A lantern was lit and hung on one of the branches over the table, where one had to be careful of leaves falling into his soup.

After much fuss from the women, both Emil and Ratatosk were to pull their hair back until they take their seats. Both awkwardly obliged, but tirelessly prepared the food. As they sat—squatted—for dinner, Emil answered their praises, "There really isn't much…"

Three low tables were crammed with plates, extra utensils—compliments to the women—and various meals from which they could pick, careful to avoid Jizelle's recipes out of nostalgia. Talk and chortles and songs echoed into the mountains where they could never cross, thus no one else knew of the cheeriness of such a dinner. Couples sat next to each other, Richter and Ratatosk are well separated, and Regal was seated between Zelos and Adelle, but no air of nobility could be sensed.

"We weren't expected to make our own meals in court," Adelle said with a small pout, "nor did I labor with chores at home."

"I did hear rumors about how hard it is for the maids to clean your room," Zelos joked. "C'mon, _a messy bedroom?_ How did _that_ work?"

Adelle shrugged. "I managed." She waved her hand. "Look, I don't want to discuss this. Just let me have some dinner."

The liveliness faded subtly as Colette whispered to Raine. This went unseen by Ratatosk, but, remarkably, he was just as irritated.

"Could you stop fooling around?" he called to the tables. "Jizelle's in _danger_, and what the hell are you _doing_?"

"What the hell are _you_ doing?" Richter snapped as he rose. "Why are you still _here_? Isn't this the perfect chance for you to run home and cower?"

"I'm not running away!" Ratatosk protested. "Look, I've been _waiting_; when do we go into that—that _palace_ thing—and get Jizelle out?"

His shouts swept along the tables like a breeze. The clanking and chatter silenced and all heads turned to him.

"Do you remember _anything_ I've told you?"

There was loud clatter from Adelle as she set down her saucer on her plate. "We go to Mizuho first thing in the morning. Satisfied, oh _celebrated_ spirit of the Old Tree?"

Ratatosk stomped his foot on the table, bent his torso forward, and reached for Adelle's cuff. She only stared with bleak eyes.

"Ratatosk!" called Marta. "How can you treat a woman like that?"

Emil had remembered when Ratatosk had shoved Marta away in frustration just days ago. He wanted to tell her that he had done worse, but the situation wasn't worth the reminder.

"Let's settle things your way, then," Adelle spoke stoically. "I am very willing to batter you down and leash you up."

"What did you say?" Ratatosk growled, hoisting her until her feet were off the ground. Everyone tried to move, but Adelle raised a hand. "Let me tell you something: you don't look down on _me_. You don't look down on anyone. You're just faking a high seat made of nothing but your fat ego."

Adelle snorted as she held back a giggle. "You're talking to _me_ about ego? That's the best humor I've had today. Then again…" she brought both hands on Ratatosk's arm. "You're so stupid that it's amusing to watch."

She removed herself from his grasp, and dropped to the ground. Her wrists still wringing Ratatosk, she threw him off the table, and slammed him onto his back.

"Ratatosk!" Emil ran around the table, to help him on his feet. "Please, Ratatosk, be a little more patient—"

"About what?" Ratatosk growled at him. "She could be stalling us, for all we know. Wherever the hell Jizelle is, she's _suffering_, and we have to get her out!"

"Is this true, Adelle," began Regal, "that Jizelle is suffering?"

Adelle crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. She gave a small nod. "I don't know how terrible it is now how much she's taking, but…yes; she is suffering in Hela's presence."

With that, Ratatosk threw Emil aside and turned away. He walked briskly, shoulders back, fist clenched, head not stopping to look back. Another minute and he disappeared.

"Richter." Adelle's tone was low, yet soft. "Is this your answer? Will you leave Jizelle to an instinctive beast?"

"She doesn't like people who try to help her when they themselves are unprepared," he answered immediately. "And until I know what I'm facing, I won't make a direct move. I'd slipped from that philosophy only once."

"When was that?" asked Genis, who, recently, was eager to make talk with Richter because of their mutuality as half-elves.

Richter closed his eyes. "When Ratatosk killed Aster, I didn't stop to think." A pause that everyone acknowledged. "We can still make use of Ratatosk. When he comes back, we can plan a counterattack with any knowledge he provides."

"That's cruel." Adelle was smiling again, but it wasn't pleasing to the eyes. Then she readjusted her way of seat and resumed her meal. And for a long time, it was as if she was the only one whose time hadn't stopped.

* * *

_Ratatosk,_ Emil called, _Ratatosk? Please, let me in! Let me help you!_

Only Emil's thoughts sounded his desperation. His body was relaxed on the bed, with Marta's assuring weight on his chest. He had communicated with Ratatosk in his mind before, but it was only because they shared a body. As separate beings, such a connection should break.

Still, neither would be sure until one of them tries.

_Ratatosk?_ Emil closed his eyes in an attempt to concentrate harder. _Look, I know you're angry…if you won't talk to me, wherever you are…please, be careful! You don't know what you're facing!_

There wasn't a hint of a response that followed. With his eyes already shut and praying that his unanswered warning was suffice enough, he tried to sleep.

When he saw the hazy image of a sturdy black castle in the midst of fire, he'd already been so lost in the dream that he wouldn't remember it in the morning.

Or even when pain jolted him awake a minute later. Marta yelped, startled, as Emil's body convulsed. But only once. There was pain somewhere in his middle, as if someone had luckily missed his ribs as he stepped on him. Emil confirmed that when he tried to rise from bed. He had to grit his teeth as to not respond to his pain.

"What happened?" Marta asked.

Emil heard a gust of air outside, and from their window, could see something flapping in the sky. He rose with some difficulty and watched the dragon (Henrietta or Coraline?) soaring away, its rider seated. It must be the nightly scouting.

It was Emil's first time seeing it, but he felt that something was out of place. For example, why was a girl camouflaging herself in the dark—

Wait.

He'd seen that girl before. He was no girl, despite the looks.

Next the house was up from the "Tenebrae! Tenebrae!" that rang through it.

Unbeknownst to Emil, Adelle wasn't on patrol that night. But her bed was empty. So was Hayden's.

Not that they left. Emil had met them outside, assuming that they were also going to address Tenebrae. Then another person was present. Someone Emil had never met.

But his name he had heard.

Adelle started, "Adolfe, you tactless dolt!"

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, it's been long since I addressed my readers in a story, I know. It acknowledges the readers, yes, but I don't consider it as professional when done constantly. No offense.

So why the **A/N** now? For one thing. I'll thank those who made twenty-eight episodes of XHatch. Congratulations everyone, and spread the love!

And…on to something else. Readers, what if I had a blog where I wrote author's notes like these? If I wrote snippets of thought, of ideas, but primarily, directly communicating with readers? Sure I have to set another domain and copyright my material, but I'm just considering the idea. What do you guys think?

**Oh, and one more thing: nothing assures a writer of readership than reviews. So if you honestly want more, **_**ask for more**_**.**


	29. Fangs Tamed

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Fangs Tamed**

Hayden made no move to restrain Adelle as she took a hostile stance.

The man, Adolfe, stood lean and tall, but did not appear weak. His hair was as black as Adelle's, but longer and sleeker, pulled in a loose ponytail; his eyes were as blue as Adelle's, but it's hard to tell in truth because of their brilliance amidst the darkness. Without a glance towards Emil, he flashed a weary smile to his sister.

"Is that how you respond to a welcoming brother?"

"You think—" Adelle paused, then heaved an angry sigh. Similar to what had Jizelle done in Flanoir, after Emil had first encountered Hayden. Now, as he spoke, there was more uncertainty and worry (Emil didn't want to say _fear_) than enmity.

Emil barely made out the words, "How did you get out?"

"I was particularly sure that I couldn't convince my sweet baby sister—" Adolfe began, and Adelle twitched a cheek, "—to come home with us, so I have a day to at least welcome her back."

"Have you forgotten about _me_, Emil?" He yelped when Tenebrae, maintaining his feminine form, pinched his arm. "That's not respectful to a lady—"

"Tenebrae, enough!" groaned Emil. "Look, I don't know what your business is, or where Ratatosk has gone to, but if I can't protect Adelle from her brother—"

"Who is Adelle?"

"Emil?" Marta had followed him outside, together with Lloyd, Regal, and Raine. "Tenebrae? What are you doing here?"

"How unceremonious," Adolfe sighed, shaking his head. They turned to him, dumbstruck at the new visitor. "I was expecting a reunion with my family, sans you mixed lot."

Adelle scoffed. More speechlessness. "Your family? Where's your mother, _darling _Adolfe? Where's your _father_?"

Adolfe's lips tightened for a moment, but he answered, "Neither of them is available, regrettably."

"You ass!" Adelle's voice shook as she charged at him. "You blind _ass_!"

"Adelle, don't—" Hayden finally interrupted, but Zelos had sprinted past him and threw himself in front of Adelle, catching her impact. They fell back together, with Adelle underneath.

"He won't harm you," Zelos told her, "trust me."

"_Zelos_—"

"You promised me!"

Everyone froze as Adolfe strode past the mess and pulled Hayden by his shirt collar. "You _promised_ me to bring her back!"

"I told you, I never _agreed_ to that!" Hayden then performed his first act of resistance since Altamira: he closed his palm over Adolfe's wrist and twisted at it. "I left knowing that I'll never be welcomed home!"

"I can pardon you!"

"Your family needs that pardon more than I do!"

"I…" Emil began, not particularly talking to anyone, "I don't understand…I thought she loved her brother…"

"Emil?" Tenebrae chose to respond. Her head on his shoulder, Marta silently anticipated an answer.

"…You can't hate without love." said Regal said with a fold in his brows. It took them a moment to recall that Regal _had_ someone he loved.

Adolfe slipped out of Hayden's grasp and sighed. "The headaches I've had just thinking about you two…"

"Was it worth it?" Zelos had helped Adelle up, and she refused to let him beat the soil off her clothes. "And by the way, that cloak was _disgusting_."

"Yet you wore it?"

"It would ruin our image if I didn't. Not that many cared for elves until they're cast out."

Now Emil was bewildered at Adelle. From the girl in the tower, she'd gone from humane to realistic, now she's irritated and unpleasant. He'd remembered disapproving of her before, but that was because of her seemingly ignorant optimism. Just now, he'd heard her say _disgusting_.

"…Is she the Adelle that Lord Ratatosk had assigned me to meet?"

Almost glad to throw her brother out of discussion, Adelle whipped her head towards Tenebrae, who had returned to his lean, dark form. "What's your business?" she asked in a firm, yet calmer, tone.

_Better Ratatosk than Adolfe,_ thought Emil without much relief. "This is Tenebrae, one of Ratatosk's Centurions. They help him maintain balance the order of monsters. Hayden's eyes momentarily widened at this.

Adelle raised her eyebrows and laughed, but her answer ridiculed her mirth. "So he has _willing_ subjects."

Tenebrae bowed his head. "I must…apologize for his behavior. I would like to bring him with me, yet…"

"What is it, Tenebrae?" Marta asked, Emil feeling her weight grow on him.

"He's…met with Lady Jizelle," Tenebrae spoke slowly, perhaps to make sure that everyone could comprehend. "He wouldn't leave her."

Everyone but Adelle tensed. In fact, she relaxed. "He…used his own door." She turned to Regal. "How much time before Richter arrives?"

Regal looked upwards, to the sky. "He just left; he wouldn't be back for two hours…"

"I don't want to force a route on you," said Adelle. "You want to help Jizelle, but let me go to Mizuho on my own."

"Don't!" Emil protested, and Adelle blinked at him once. "I…I don't want to lose anyone else! I want us to stick together—to see Jizelle together."

Slowly, Adelle's smile returned. She bent down, and encased Emil's head in her palms. "We will. We'll all see her. And we'll bring her back."

He silently nodded, and, realizing that her hands were too clammy, gently wedged out and rested upon Marta's shoulder. The feeling wasn't strong, but a tear still escaped his eye.

He made no move to bury his face.

"If I may be of better use," Tenebrae cautiously interrupted, "I can bring you to Mizuho without delay."

Adelle rose, paused, allowing Tenebrae to lower his forelegs. She silently boarded on him. He swerved, broke into a sprint, and kicked off, rising into the dark, moonlit sky.

Behind them, Emil noticed, Adolfe brought his hand to his forehead, as if getting another headache. He didn't have the energy to express his annoyance.

* * *

Coaxed to "rest up", Emil plunged face first onto the bed. He sensed the small dip that was Marta sitting beside him, and his neck tingled as she combed his hair with her fingers.

"I know we might be running out of time," she said softly, "but we don't know what to expect. I'll keep watch, okay?"

Some groaning, and Emil finally murmured, "Lie down, next to me…" When she did, he brought a hand to her cheek, beckoning her to kiss him. When she gave him a small peck, he slid his hand down her shoulder, then her waist, where he tugged to pull her close.

"I'm not at my limit yet, because you're still here," he whispered. "I can't bear to lose you anymore…"

"And I won't leave you," assured Marta, "I swear, I wouldn't…"

"I love you, Marta…"

And Emil's breathing calmed, his eyes fluttered shut. He dreamed of his wedding with Marta, his angel in white, with Jizelle and Adelle sitting next to each other on a pew. There was Hayden, clapping next to his fiancée…or wife, by this time.

There'd also been someone on Jizelle's other side, but he didn't bother to scrutinize him as he gave his bride the ceremonial sealing kiss.


	30. Ready Arms

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Thirty: Ready Arms**

"That's a nice dream, for a change."

Emil turned, and found…a person that glared in red orange. His knees suddenly gave as a velvet seat rose from under him. The walls of the bar obscured them from onlookers. "Y-you…!"

"Gel in a glass?" Ran offered a clear container and that had what looked like apple gel in it. A straw pierced through the substance. "Sorry, I don't know how you drink the stuff. I can get you as shot of something else, if you like."

"…What do you want?" Unlike in the physical world, Emil had no trouble frowning. "What are you interrupting a 'nice dream' for?"

"Adelle told you, didn't she? Who I am?" She paused. "You don't mean—"

"Ratatosk's sister, I know!" Emil growled. "Protecting the Ginunggagap was your duty, and you abandoned it for—"

"A higher calling," Ran interrupted, her eyes narrowing at Emil's lack of etiquette. "Sixteen years ago, Adelle was a girl who volunteered to free the souls of the Palace. I knew the World Tree wasn't going to last, but I couldn't tell Ratatosk. He treasures it too much. If I he'd been left with just the tree, he would have no place left."

"He never would've killed Aster!"

"And you never would've been born. Or, as I'm about to tell you, freed."

"What…"

Ran took hold of her shallow glass and brought it to Emil's lips. "Calm down and drink this. I don't want you waking up in the middle of a conversation."

Emil closed his eyes and sipped what poured into his mouth. There was the undeniable tang of alcohol, not hidden well enough by the sweetness of honey. He felt his senses—within his dreams, at least—sharpen, and at the same time, his excessive adrenaline seeping out of him.

"Now," Ran rested her back on her seat, encouraging Emil to do the same, "_freed_. I'm sure you don't remember, but you were a prisoner in the Palace of Admirals, too. "

When the idea surfaced, Emil remembered considering the possibility on rare occasions. In one of these trains of thought, he'd formulated a contradiction: "But Ratatosk said he created me!"

Ran bit her lip, implying the slight annoyance. "Yes, he did. But by the time you killed yourself, you'd developed a soul separate from him. While trying to regain control, he unknowingly cast you out of his body. By qualification, you were snatched and taken to the Palace. I can't say what actually happened inside that place, but…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Emil growled. "I don't even remember being in there. If I would have, Jizelle and I would've been the same—"

"She knew where to pluck you out from," Ran spoke with a subtle raise in her voice. "All she had to do was look for a fresh prisoner and snatch it back. The memories weren't needed for your soul; your _body_ needed to retake its shape, and she created it for you!"

"I'm telling you, I have no memory of what happened!"

"You were her pride!" At pride, Ran slammed her fist on the table, showing persistence not unlike Ratatosk's. "She was the first prisoner to be freed, you second. You were her pride, and she's not giving you back!"

"So why does _she_ have to go back?"

"To save the rest! To protect _you_! She's your mother, isn't she?"

A numbing silence covered them like a fog. Emil suddenly felt his limbs dying, yet his heartbeat was speeding.

"Mother…" he whispered to himself.

"You're Ratatosk, so you can't call him your father," Ran explained slowly. "But she's different. She gave birth to you, taught you, looked after you. Now she's protecting you."

Another dreadful silence. "And here I am, believing that I should've protected _her_…" Emil gave a long sigh.

"She recreated your existence. If Ratatosk were to deny you again, you can still exist as her son. You'll never have to disappear."

"How can exist without her?" Emil murmured. For all the frustration this brought, not a tear was shed from his eyes. "I can't stay put. I can't follow her. What do I do?"

Ran shrugged. "I never said you _shouldn't_ follow her. That's what Jizelle thinks. If you're not pleased with her behavior—and I'm _sure_ you are—go ahead and rebel a little." She relaxed, and leaned back, stretching her arms over her head. "Besides, someone has to get that stubborn brother of mine back."

"But—"

"Do you want your mother to scare you away and never come back?"

Emil bit his lip, and stared at his untouched gel. He'd assumed that there couldn't be another way to save Jizelle, so he was fine with breaching the Palace. But confronting the mere _possibility_ of other means, he'd still choose the Palace. Wasn't this selfishness?

"…I want to see her. More than anything. I'll go, even if I shouldn't. Even if I don't have to. I'll save her, and I'll give her a place to live. I want to be the person who protects her, too."

"Why are you telling _me_ that? And if you're so decided, why did Ratatosk have to go ahead of you?"

"Aren't you against him?"

"Yes I am, but that isn't the point! Look, Hela's made a puppet of Jizelle, and Ratatosk is…!"

* * *

"Ratatosk?"

"He'll heal, but we have to move him carefully."

"I've never seen these wounds before…"

These were the first lines that Emil comprehended, given his daze from being cast out of Ran's consciousness (or was it the commotion in the cottage that woke him up?).

He swept his palm along the bed's linen to find that Marta wasn't with him. It occurred that maybe she went down to scold Ratatosk for his departure, but that could've waited in the…

A loud slam drew his attention to the bedroom door, where Richter stood, and Emil first noted that his glasses from askew.

_Oh. It _is_ morning._

"Emil, get up. We're going."

He'd blinked twice before realizing that he could see Jizelle at last. No, not _could_. He will.


	31. The Collapsing Sanctuary

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Thirty One: The Collapsing Sanctuary**

It was nearing noon. Tenebrae and Adelle had recovered Ratatosk, who was sprawled in front of the Ginnungagap. If not from recovering so much, Emil didn't think that he would be prepared to see the puddles of blood that stained the cottage's wooden floor, much less Ratatosk's mangled body. Thankfully, Ratatosk himself had lost consciousness, sparing himself the shame brought by his bad judgment.

Bad as it was, however, it was neither in Emil's, nor in anyone else's nature to abandon him…half dead? Or, possibly, _nearly_ dead?

The wounds were quite open even with Marta and Raine working to close them off, and he was still bleeding much. The clothes were removed, tossed aside; someone has to wash the blood off before they leave. That is, if Ratatosk still wanted to go.

The wounds _were_ unusual: there were openings along Ratatosk's flesh from what seemed like a thick blade. In fact, the wounds reached so deep in him that it was a miracle he was alive. Even more remarkably, Raine had announced that they were repairable. "It's as if they never wanted to kill him," she noted.

Adelle, Hayden, and Zelos were separate from the crowd. She, too, had fresh wounds: holes were drilled through her to palms reseal the door with blood (needing even more because Ratatosk's blood had mixed with it), holes so large that her fingers were in danger of falling off if not for Zelos's supporting them. Her cheeks were flush, her teeth were grit, and her eyes were shut, all from holding back tears of pain.

When Zelos noticed Emil's gaze, he slid his hands under hers until their fingertips touched each other's wrists. Hayden rooted his elbows under her arms, holding her as she shook, breathing and whispering against her ear.

"This is their warning," Regal stated heavily. "As to whether we heed it or not…"

"We can't let this scare us," said Richter. "This happened because he went alone. If we go together—"

"Stop antagonizing him!" cried Marta. "Just because the both of you love Jizelle differently—"

"This has _nothing_ to do with that!"

You couldn't be more wrong Emil silently voiced his disapproval. But there were important things to add than an argument.

"Ran…she spoke to me."

That got Richter silent, but still irritable.

"Jizelle's become a puppet," Zelos confirmed, "So I'd been told."

"Ran had come to me, too," added Lloyd. "She knew that I was involved with Mithos and Martel, and…" he closed his mouth for a few moments. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to exclude anyone…Colette, I didn't mean to…"

Colette gave him a determined stare, but not without forgiveness. "If she's a puppet, we'll just have to cut her strings off, Lloyd."

"Tenebrae was telling the truth," Genis shrugged, however, without his easygoing attitude. "Sure, she's desperate but…this isn't a place we've ever been to. We have to prepare."

"Adelle said we were ready," said Presea, who was tainted the most in Ratatosk's blood, receiving the honor of carrying him into the cottage. "But we can't leave the wounded."

"We can't leave Jizelle, either!" argued Richter.

"It's suicide to go there alone!" protested Sheena. "Look at Ratatosk! At Adelle! Who's to say that healing is enough for them!"

"Quiet, Sheena!" Zelos scolded, which was a rarity. "I'm doing the best I can—Adelle, no, you have to relax…" he had turned back to his patient, who was trying to soothe her rage.

Emil feared angering her further, but he had to ask, "Where's Tenebrae?"

"He's outside, with…_Adelle's brother_," Lloyd lowered his voice. Taking Emil by the arm, he stood close to where Adelle sat. "He was devastated to see her wounded, but Adelle wouldn't let him closer."

"Do you dislike him?"

"I don't want to, but we need to know why he abandoned his family like Adelle said he did. Why was he hiding this whole time? Why show himself now?" He paused and gave Emil a hard stare, as if not sure whether to add something else. "We…tried his magic on Ratatosk earlier. It didn't heal anything, but it…eased the process. We need that kind of magic."

"It's just mana, isn't it?"

"It's not just Adolfe. Jizelle's tattoo, remember? It was carved in raw mana. Hayden, Adelle, maybe even Mameha—their mana can give us protection."

"But what if it's not what we expect it to be?" argued Emil. "And we can't risk Mameha—she's _their_ mother!"

Lloyd inhaled deeply. "I'll admit…that I don't have real proof, and the tattoo could only be coincidence. But Ratatosk is wounded, Adelle is wounded—whatever time we actually had is gone."

"How can you be sure that we're ready?"

"That's…where Adolfe comes into the picture," Lloyd sighed. "I'm guessing you wouldn't like the idea, either, but he's coming with us to the Palace. He didn't plan this; it was Mameha's suggestion."

"And if he turns against us?"

"I'll kill him."

This came neither from Lloyd nor Emil, nor even from Adelle.

"I'll kill him," Hayden repeated with careful anger. "It was his idea—everything. He told me…told _everyone_…that Adelle will die when she leaves home, and then killed by whoever had possessed her…and I was a fool to believe him."

"Killing isn't your way, Hayden," remarked Zelos. "Not that I'm offering to do it for you, but…"

"He banished his mother, blasphemed against his sister, and took his father's title without as much as a glance at his coffin!"

"That's enough," Adelle snapped, albeit wearily. Her eyes had finally opened, hazy and red and wet, and she turned her head to nuzzle his neck. "It wasn't your place to tell them."

"You think I'd let you suffer on your own again?" he snarled at her unwittingly. "To live without you—for almost _twenty years_, since you left for court—you _think_…"

"Shush it." Adelle closed her eyes again—fluttered shut, more like. "At least you can still count them," she sighed. "Those 'years' trapped imprisoned in a tower felt like an eternity. I could've forgotten about you, if not for the rabbit. I could've forgotten pain—"she twitched her wrists in reference, "forgotten what it meant to have friends, family…I might've even told myself that this was all a dream."

Then she turned to Emil, who'd grown stiff from listening, "Don't look at me like I'm a lost child," she directed, "I'm old enough to spout nonsense you best ignore."

"Sorry," Emil mumbled, his head drooping. "I didn't mean to stare."

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you the time I promised," she spoke softer, gentler, "or the power. Ratatosk's actions were…not in my calculations, when they should have been."

"None of us could've predicted this," he replied, "and none of us…could've stopped him. If we'd known how serious it turned out…" His grogginess was fading, and his feelings emerging. He hated this. This…this _limbo_. A part of him wanted to thank Ratatosk for hastening the journey—despite the disadvantage it gave them, it still meant he could see Jizelle sooner. He still _wanted_ her to go through that door…or at least to trust her with her choice, but to do so without as much as looking back or apologizing or bidding goodbye—to attack Richter in his vulnerability!—was what ate at him.

_What else do you need to do?_ he remembered Richter's demand that time, when they realized Jizelle's plans went beyond what they had assumed. _What more do you _want_?_

Maybe fathoming the answer was beyond him…but he was certain Adelle knew…or, at least, could guess, what Jizelle had been planning. It was involved more than leaving a bloody corpse for Hayden to feast on—sexual implications included.

"There's something in there." Adelle shook with effort; she took note of how Emil had fallen into deep thought. But it wasn't an answer meant only for him: silence blew into the room like a great gust of winter winds, unexpected as winter itself was in Ozette.

"Something had challenged her to go back," she Adelle. "And it's not _just_ Hela. I _could_ have told you sooner—" she raised her voice just as the chaos emerged, "—if I had any idea who he was. But maybe that had been foolish , too. You know this person, surely."

She cautiously straightened her back (her palms were still closing up) and turned to Lloyd. "Remember the bouquet I sent you back with? Someone _else_ had given them to me…and he told me that I could leave if Jizelle got the message. I've never seen such flowers before. A new species over the last sixteen years? Does it have a name?"

"They appeared two years ago," Richter replied with a tweak of his glasses. "We're still working on the taxonomy, but the flower's common name is—"

"_Aster_," Emil said under his breath. _Aster! Aster!_ his mind cried. When was the last time he was brought up? Richter certainly didn't talk about it. Not even Ratatosk. But that didn't mean he wasn't _important_…!

And suddenly…the pieces fell in place.

This new theory was much more sensible: Jizelle faced this evil, not to protect him—he'll scold Ran later for encouraging the idea—but to…to…!

_To rescue Aster._

For a moment his vision sharpened, then fogged as hot tears pooled out of his eyes. But his mind was clearer than it had ever been since Jizelle had forsaken him.

_Forsaken_. It was a loathsome word, but not inappropriate. When he told her he loved her, just outside Iselia, she herself had said that this was her way of protecting him. She deceived Adelle, and she lied to his face.

Suddenly, it became hard to breathe. His body began to tremble, and he sunk to the floor. He felt as if his strength drained with each tear he shed. There was no Marta to catch his fall, but his arm hit soft velvet, which had definitely not been the floor. Tenebrae had slinked gracefully under Emil's weight and cushioned the rest of his crumple. He searched for Richter, pleading him to voice it out.

Richter…slowly released his lips, sewn tight by the revelation. "She's…after Aster…Somehow, he ended up in that…_palace_ place…and got imprisoned."

_Just like me_, Emil thought, or, what Ran had made him think. Was she going to save Aster as she had done to him? Why should she go to the Palace to do that? Had she been thinking of this after she had revived Emil? Before?

"Wait a minute!" cried Genis. "She brought _Emil_ back to life, didn't she? Why can't she just do it again?"

"Maybe that wasn't what Aster wished for," speculated Raine. "If she had brought Aster's soul here, he would need to have a body. She could have accomplished this years ago if it was what she wanted. Maybe the Palace has a more convenient exit."

Regal nodded . "And she fell into a trap and became a…puppet, was it?"

"Then we'll have to catch up with her," Presea said with urgency, "before it gets worse…Paw Pad?"

Tenebrae wheeled his head, back bowed to support Emil. "Perhaps Lord Ratatosk…had been attacked by the puppet."

Sheena crossed her arms over her bosom. "You mean there's more?"

"Could be," said Adelle. "I wouldn't know how, but if Hela's could use flesh—" she paused, "…this is my fault. She's planned ahead by sixteen years, and I…"

"Shush, lady," Zelos appeased, "you mustn't blame yourself. I'll be done with your hands in a minute. Lloyd, bud, mind passing the gel?"

_Gel. Gel in a glass. Ran._

Ran kept registering in Emil's mind like a harsh tug at his scarf. She claimed that Jizelle left to protect him? Did Ran mislead him on purpose?

But Ratatosk had been recovered? Why would she still want them to go?

_Do you want your mother to scare you away and never come back?_ she challenged. But Emil wasn't afraid—not anymore. He's not sure about what replaced his fears, but more than _anything_ now…

"Emil?" Colette had carefully moved him off Tenebrae's back, while Lloyd hoisted him back up. Colette started again, "We'll find her. If it makes you happy, then somehow, we'll find her."

Emil's eyes focused on her for a moment. "What do you…"

"It's upsetting to see you break down like this," Lloyd confessed after handing Zelos the apple gel. "I suppose…trying to cheer you up doesn't—no, we don't mean that!" He cut off when Emil averted his eyes. "You have a right to be upset, and _angry_; you'd been hurt by a person who saved your life, a person you love. We were there, but this clearly affects you more than us."

"I'm sorry," Emil blurted, "I didn't mean to discourage anyone…" It was the same with Marta when they first travelled together. The hatred he'd felt for Lloyd had blinded him from everything else that mattered. Was this any different with Jizelle?

"Lloyd just said," Before he could question it, Marta was already at his side, lacing their fingers together, "you have every right. And now, you'll have the chance to fix things. If it makes you feel any better, I'll promise you right now—"

"Don't force yourself!" Emil pleaded, but Marta was already on her knees in front him, his hand still in hers.

"We will find her. And we will bring her back. Together."

"_Together_," Lloyd followed without a moment's waste. Everyone else wore faces of agreement. Marta rose to wrap his arms around Emil's neck, when a cough was heard.

Ratatosk had awoken.

Emil quickly turned to Adelle, who was rubbing her healed palms. She returned his gaze before sweeping her eyes across the room.

"Make haste, everyone. We leave as soon as we're ready."


	32. The Reddest Welcome

**Tales of Symphonia: XHatch**

**Chapter Thirty Two: The Reddest of Welcomes**

And here they were. The travelling itself was a literal blur (riding a dragon has that tendency, as Emil first discovered), but here they were. Adelle meant what she said about making haste.

Back in the Ginnungagap, where his existence began. Does that mean, then, that travelling to the Palace goes beyond his existence? Perhaps; it is the dwelling of the unborn and the stolen.

Ran said that he had been "stolen". Yet the nostalgia ended here. There are no memories. But there could be no other place to take his soul from…couldn't there?

It was too hard to think. The dragons disoriented him, so did the fresh puddles of blood on the floor before the cores. Both stepping on these puddles and avoiding them made him very conscious. Grim.

And now, Aster. Ratatosk was furious when he heard of Jizelle's motive. They in turn were shocked when he told them who her opponent was.

* * *

"Jizelle," he answered immediately. "There was no large weapon. Her sword—the thin one."

"Why would Jizelle hurt you?" one of them had asked, Emil didn't bother to know. He hadn't the time.

"That was who I saw, but it wasn't…_her_," he answered with his eyes averted. As if he didn't want to remember. "She wouldn't even stop to speak to me. It's almost like her body was moving on its own. Her _eyes_…"

Richter's narrowed, "Her eyes…?"

"They were clouded, and cold and…" Ratatosk gulped, "…_disturbing_."

"I didn't think you could pay such attention to them."

"Hey, I found her, didn't I? Like I said I would!"

* * *

Ratatosk said he had landed a (nonlethal) strike on Jizelle before he collapsed. If they were quick enough, the body should still be there, and they could save themselves the challenge of entering the Palace.

But the other souls—the ones that Adelle wanted to save—were still in there. _Aster_ could still be in there. Maybe some of them can leave the Palace first—

_No,_ he scolded himself, _they promised to bring Jizelle back, even if it meant seeing her business through._

And Marta had sworn. He still wasn't comfortable with it, given that she has put herself in a great amount of danger. Maybe she never planned on backing out. Did that mean she would accept death here? _No,_ Emil gave a large sniff in resolve, _I won't allow that. I don't want anyone else to leave, or die._

"Centurions," Ratatosk called, his body held up by Raine, "open the door."

"Master Richter!" Aqua drifted towards them and addressed Richter with affection, but was halted by Tenebrae. She turned to Ratatosk, who watched her with little sympathy. Resentfully, she resumed her post, and assisted in opening the door.

Ratatosk freed himself and stumbled towards the incomplete circle of spheres. "Tenebrae, stand guard with the rest of them. If the enemy's close, seal the door immediately."

Tenebrae floated down and planted his feet on the floor. "And leave you inside? Lord Ratatosk, this is not—"

"This is _our_ duty," Ratatosk interrupted firmly. "Remember why we're here: we guard the door into Niflheim…and whatever else is in there."

Tenebrae reared his body, and lowered his head in a bow. "My pardons, but Lady Ran would not want her seat empty. You will have to return."

"Then she better have a good reason for leaving it in the first place, next time I see her." Then Ratatosk grasped his shoulder, where the wound closed. "I'd come back once. A second time shouldn't be so tough."

"Don't push yourself," Colette advised. "We're looking out for each other, now."

"I wonder," Genis commented bluntly. It didn't take Emil so much time to comprehend. He glanced at Adelle, her boots soaked in her own blood, then at Adolfe, whose eyes roamed the room with a disapproving frown.

Then a sound echoed, like a blade cutting through silk. Emil watched as the Centurions fell back sideways, widening the tear. Fumes puffed out of the opening, and drifted across the room. Instinctively, he covered his nose, but as the others did the same, Adelle stepped ahead, the _squelch_ of her boots in blood grossly loud in his ears. "It's just steam. There's no poison."

"Then why all this?" said Sheena, her voice just audible with the glove over her mouth. "Weather? Special effects?"

Adelle gave a little smile. "Welcome party. She's expecting us." Hayden took her hand, and together, they stepped inside. A sight and sound of fire, and they were gone through the seam.

Ratatosk turned his head very slightly to the group. "Come on."

They entered, silent as a flock of sheep. But within each of them was fire. Maybe the colors some were different than others, but what ignites them is common: the sight of _her_.

_I want to see you,_ Emil prayed in his mind, and sometimes he said it under his breath, too. "I want to see you. I want to see you." Marta must've heard, for her grip on his hand tightened. _We want to see you._

They were on rock, not unlike the rock of a volcano. Lava appropriately bordered what land they could see, disappearing behind the flimsy shadow of the Palace of Admirals. A red castle, not so high as it was wide, with towers rising around dome at the center. Towards the palace was a misty archway, little flowers wrapped around the metallic detail. Asters.

"This wasn't here the first time," said Ratatosk. No comment followed. As many of them paused, Adelle kept on walking. She carried herself briskly, almost knowingly towards the palace that reeked of foreboding. Hayden followed closely, but unsure. Perhaps the chill had settled in him as it had in them.

"Not so hasty," Adolfe called after her, proceeding to walk as well. Raine began after a quiet plea from Ratatosk, and soon they were huddled under the archway, spearheaded by Adelle's beeline for the entrance.

* * *

**~SKIT: Holding Their Breath~**

Ratatosk: …Hey.

Emil: …Um…

Ratatosk: Do you remember anything?

Emil: What?

Ratatosk: About this place. It's where Jizelle found you, after all.

Emil: No…I tried my best to recall, but no luck.

Ratatosk: …I left you to be taken to that place.

Emil: You were angry that I sealed you away, and you didn't know this would happen.

Ratatosk: Forgiving me doesn't change what I did. Or didn't.

Emil: I never said I forgave you.

Ratatosk: Er…

Emil: But I have.

Ratatosk: Urk…! *sighs* Thank you, and…I…hmm.

* * *

**~SKIT: Not Genocide~**

Marta: Ooh!

Sheena: What is it, Marta?

Marta: He…he irritates me, that Adolfe.

Sheena: Oh, him.

Marta: He hasn't spoken to us, not once! Who does he think he is?

Colette: Lloyd says he's not sure of what to make of him, either. He's mysterious, and—

Marta: Annoying when he speaks.

Sheena: Maybe you're just taking sides with Adelle.

Colette: I was going to add that he seemed pretty harmless.

Marta: Hmm…*fidgets in Emil's hold* Emil, I'm gonna protect you, I swear!

Emil: Huh? I thought we already dropped this…

* * *

Adelle wasted no time in opening the doors with a burst and a _creak_. The ceiling was higher than they initially perceived, and the floor was made of dark marble, patterned with small specks of white.

"Whatever happens," she started, looking over her shoulder, "don't be afraid." Emil and many others nodded after. Afraid of _what_, he wanted to ask, but he felt he'll know soon enough.

"Where is she?" Zelos's voice echoed along the red walls. "Jizelle! Jizelle!"

Two figures emerged from the shadows of the hall, both armed. One was Jizelle, holding a shortsword, the other also Jizelle, drawing an arrow with a shortbow. Emil had never seen her with either weapon.

"Jizelle!" Richter and Emil cried, and meant to charge if not for Adelle extending her arm out. "Wait. Neither of them is her. Clones."

It disturbed Emil much to think that these were not, at least, part of the real Jizelle. How were they created? How was _he_ created? For was he, himself, a replica of Ratatosk's. His hand in Marta's began to sweat, and he quickly drew it away.

"We have to get past them," said Regal. "I'd rather not fight until it's a last resort."

"How do we keep the clones at bay?" asked Zelos.

"They're just clones," came a scoff. All turned to Adolfe, who was already waving his hand. Two circles, like small crosshairs, appeared between them and the clones, and with a swipe of his palm, he slashed at them. They slumped to the ground with no blood leaving their wounds. Their faces didn't register alarm, horror, rage…nothing.

Afterward, Hayden eyed him with some disapproval, and Adelle's face went red as the wall, before storming ahead. Adolfe offered a little smile. "I'll take that as permission."

Behind him, Emil shuddered as he stepped past the unmoving clones. How many of them are there? The one that attacked Ratatosk, these who died in moments…How were they created?

"Wasting her like that!" Ratatosk pulled away from the crowd and shouted at the shadows. "Come out, coward! Come the hell out, now!"

"She's here," Adelle said in what was nearly a whisper. "Hiding in the shadows."

Ratatosk growled, and whipped his head from shadow to shadow.

"Allow me," Adolfe spoke again, and Adelle turned to watch him warily. He approached the edge of the shadows, and rubbed his palms. "Best shield your eyes."

Emil found himself with little time to react. A ball of light, bright as the noon sun, sparked within Adolfe's hands, and he hoisted it towards the ceiling. The distance of the light made it more bearable to see, and white turned into blue. Adolfe lowered his hands dramatically, and the light began to reach the shadows of the room. Blue subtly blended with red, and Emil could see columns supporting balconies above him, doors on the walls before him.

Then a lean, striking spot of blood, three floors higher. Before Emil could point, Adelle spoke, "You wanted to be found?"

The spot moved, and the light cleared to reveal a woman draped in so many shades of red that her narrow face seemed rosier. She offered a smirk, "I was summoned." She raised a bony hand, almost clawed, and tugged at a chain that jutted out of the darkness. The end emerged, attached to a lock around a…human neck? "So was she."

"Jizelle!" Ratatosk hollered below her. "Jizelle! _Jizelle!_"

"It could be another clone," suggested Genis, but when they turned to Adelle, she made no acknowledgement to them.

"Bring her here, Hela."

Hela—_Chroma_hela—made another shrug. "Gladly, my sweet." She pulled the chain to the railing, effectively tossing Jizelle's body over. Noise—and a heavy _thump_ as Richter caught her body in his. Adelle immediately bent down to check, before turning back to Hela's direction. "I haven't use for remains."

_Remains?_ Emil blinked, and looked down to where Jizelle lay. Blank-eyed, lips apart, unmoving, _unbreathing_—the vibrant tattoo that Hayden had traced on her back lost its glow, appearing like a large scar. "J-Jizelle?"

"Dead," Hayden whispered, "there's no other possibility." Marta choked a gasp, and hid her face in Emil's shoulder.

Before panic could spread, Adelle shook her head. "The dead don't dwell here. Her consciousness, her soul…Hela hid it away for her own use."

"What sort?"

"The clones," Adolfe answered. "They were made in her likeness, but if they could fight…" he eyed Ratatosk's wound.

"No games!" Genis cried to Hela above them, and raised his kendama.

She bent over the railing of her floor slightly. "We may enjoy ourselves, nonetheless. I, as I arrange for the ball, and you with the welcoming party." As she raised her hand again, the room began to shake, and Adolfe's blue chandelier began to flicker. The clink and creak of metal echoed across the corridor, and shapes began to form in the shadows.

"Demons!" Richter spoke in a rushed murmur, and Emil automatically grasped the handle of his sword.

"Like…_real_ demons?" Colette gasped.

"They may be different from the ones we've ever faced," warned Regal, shaking his wrists.

"Remember the mission, people," Lloyd said in a needless attempt to rally. "We find Jizelle, and leave in one—"

_Crack!_ Concrete rose from below, from the floors, and cut off Lloyd's voice. Emil cried out as his arm was struck, but it was not until he heard Marta's scream that he turned to see…

A wall where she stood. Its voice was soft, yet desperate, "Emil! Emil!"

"Marta!" Emil's palms raced along the smooth wall. "Marta! Are you okay?!"

"Emil! Help me! EMIL! EM—"

Emil banged his fist, "Marta!" Silence from the wall. "Answer me! Marta! Marta, _please_!" He was pulled away from the wall that he'd been clawing against. He lunged forward again, but he was thrust quickly back by the stomach.

"Keep it together, Emil!" he almost failed to hear Lloyd's voice. "We're not expecting a fair fight. Losing our spirits may be just what she wants. Another wrong step could kill us!"

"I can't lose Marta!" Emil gasped. He had forgotten what being frozen in shock felt like. The fears he had held back—of Jizelle dead, of his friends dying, of _Marta_ dying—had risen in his consciousness, and made him remember at last; he could not move in Lloyd's loose hold. "She's not answering!"

"I can't hear any of the others, either," Lloyd grunted as he hoisted Emil to his feet, "but we have to trust each other to get everyone out."

Emil looked around. The wall between him and Marta was not the only one that had risen; he and Lloyd were alone in a variety of them. Looking up, he couldn't see the top of the walls; they had risen beyond Adolfe's light, which was already very high. The smoothness would prevent anyone from scaling it, too. The only opening from their entrapment was in front.

And from that opening, came a low, very inhuman, groan.

"Labyrinths and demons," Lloyd sighed, releasing Emil. "Let's finish this quickly."

Emil nodded, drawing out his sword. "For everyone. For Marta."

Lloyd turned to him, and flashed the glowing Exsphere on his hand. "For Colette."


End file.
